Convenient Solutions

Science of Sea Level Rise

2012-01-18T21:22:00.006+10:00

In Queensland, this weekend there is an event called Witness King Tides. It encourages the community to go out and take a photo of the weekend's king tide - to illustrate what future sea level rise might look like.

So what's the story with sea level rise? Is it worth worrying about? In the recent past, maybe not. But on a warming globe, the rate of sea level rise increases. As water heats up it expands, and as more land-based ice (like from glaciers) melts, the runoff adds to the ocean. The more temperatures rise, the greater the effect. This is the range of projections illustrated by the CSIRO.

It's quite a wide range of possible outcomes but zooming in on the bottom left hand corner, and including recent measurements, this is what we get.

Clearly, we are tracking near the very top line of the projection range. This is the pathway that leads to almost a metre of sea level rise. (Previously i've written about how such a rise would lead submerge half of Bangladesh).

That the observations are already slightly above this top line is what has the scientists worried that even the most catastrophic projections could underestimate what might happen.

Greenhouse Roulette

2012-01-13T08:24:00.004+10:00

When i saw this diagram in a book, i thought it was a great illustration of the different results that might occur from no action (left wheel) and taking climate action (right wheel). After all, climate projections are complicated and involve a range of possible scenarios - but taking climate action improves our odds.

Then i visited the website and found it was also a game. There you can click to spin to Greenhouse Roulette wheel and compare the future with and without climate action. Being statistically-minded i did 100 spins, and the website graphs the results.

Another good way of demonstrating that climate change will happen, but taking action can greatly reduce the damage.

Climate Change Denial

2012-01-12T20:01:00.008+10:00

It's clear what the topic of this book is. It analyses denialism of climate change scientifically, politically and psychologically.

This is profoundly ironic because at the same time the evidence has hardened up to a startling degree. And it seems to me that the harder the science becomes, the more people fall into denial because they simply don't want to face the writing that's now on the wall.

The book lists the 4 types of professional denialist (you've probably seen some on tv), the 5 types of argument they give, and numerous examples of how they completely contradict the scientific consensus.

However, amidst all the deceptive claims and completely incorrect statements made by these denialists, there was one intriguing statement:

This irrationality of destructive delusions costs communities dearly.

If it referred to the kind of denial covered in this book, then not a truer word could be spoken.

Getting Solar - The Videos

2012-01-11T22:06:00.004+10:00

With solar power being such good value (particular here in sunny Australia) it still amazes me that more people aren't getting it. Maybe it's partially our reluctance to do things we're not familar with.

Energy Matters may have been thinking the same thing when they decided to make videos showing how their process works.

This is the first in a series of 5 videos, illustrating the process all the way from picking up the phone right through to having panels on the roof providing free energy.

Drive, Switch, Go

2012-01-07T10:58:00.004+10:00

So far, Better Place Australia has been building up a network of electric car charge spots points in some Australian capitals (see the map). In time they'll be adding battery switch stations, to take away the worry of "How far can i go?".

As the head of Better Place puts it:

We've got a car that's more convenient. It goes as long as you want. It's not limited by range. It's not limited by time. It's cheap to buy. It actually keeps its value. The side effects? You save the world.

Top 5 of 2011

2011-12-31T16:32:00.001+10:00

As we say goodbye to 2011, here are this year's most-viewed items from this blog:

5/4. In a tie for 4th place were the Solar Energy Infographic and the cartoon Window of Opportunity.

3. My Queensland Floods roundup presented some amazing photos, alongside some interesting commentary from experts.

2. Another cartoon in the top 5 was Discussion Postponed - a humorous take on the effects of climate change on extreme weather.

1. The most viewed item here this year though has been the Climate Action Support Rally pics. It was great to have such a positive supportive day - even if it was a shock to some. I heard one reporter asking her cameraman to film her with the 'protesters' in the background. Obviously a group of people gathering together to support something was a new thing to her. ;)

Christmas Present

2011-12-21T21:14:00.006+10:00

The people at 100% Renewables have started an interesting campaign for Aussies to send a Christmas card to the local MP, asking for a particular present - Big Solar Power!

You can download the print or email version of the Christmas card, find the address of your local pollie - and post it off to them.

ps. the card looks much better at full size
pps. the picture is of solar thermal - more info on that here and here.

How Does Your Country Rank?

2011-12-16T21:41:00.007+10:00

One of many things that happened during the recent global climate change talks in Durban was the release of the Climate Change Performance Index.

It ranks the nations according to how well they're doing on tackling carbon emissions - kind of like an Olympic medal tally, or sports league. Unlike sports, the news was not good for Australia - finishing in the bottom grouping.

My country ranked 48 - not far from the bottom (61). However the report contained some positive remarks about Australia:

Australia has made encouraging steps towards improved climate policy. The experts recognized the new carbon tax as especially positive. Due to continuously high emissions, Australia remains in the last quarter of the CCPI. However, the latest emissions trend and the policy evaluation made Australia climb ten ranks and indicate that Australia has the ability to climb up in future rankings.

"climb ten ranks"?! We must have been down at 58th last year. Ouch! But we have the ability to climb further up the ladder - that's good. How did your country do?

[Link: The Results Tables]

What's Your Carbon Price

2011-12-12T20:35:00.011+10:00

As Australia decided to bring in a carbon price, i probably mentioned the wild exaggerations by those opposed to the change. Now that the dust has settled, experts have analysed the details of the policy to bring back some reality and perspective.

At Your Carbon Price everyday Australians can answer a few basic questions to estimate (a) how much (or little) our costs might change, and (b) how much we'll receive in tax cuts and other assistance. Here's mine:

As you can see from my analysis, the tiny impact of $5.70 per week, is easily offset by the $5.83 reduction in my income tax. I'd be interested to hear how the numbers came out for your situation.

To add further perspective, i read that the average Australian spends $30 per week on alcohol.

[Related link: The Facts On Food]

This Is George

2011-12-09T14:31:00.000+10:00

This entertaining little video was put together by a group of amateur producers, designers, animators and artists. They realised that not enough people understand that emissions from human use of fossil fuels cause climate change. In a few short weeks they put together this short film.

'This is George' is the story of a human called George, a plant called a sunflower, and the connection they both have to climate change.

PRE Christmas Bargains

2011-12-08T23:52:00.004+10:00

A great site for books on climate change is Sustainable Insight (i'm sure i've mentioned them before). Anyway they are now having a 20-30% off sale.

So if you're looking for a bargain, now is the time to get that book you've been thinking of. (Note: the sale excludes ebooks).

Climate Change and Health

2011-12-07T22:46:00.004+10:00

Last week i shared some data about hot days where i live. Coincidentally, Australia's Climate Commission then released their new report Climate Change and Health.

It made the point that "Climate change is a serious threat to our health and well-being". A hotter climate leads to more heat-related deaths and infectious disease. More frequent and severe extreme weather events threaten our physical and mental health.

Tip 4 - Pegs

2011-12-06T20:06:00.004+10:00

I'm sure i've mentioned this one before, but clothes drying (with pegs or a clothes rack) has to be one of the cheapest ways of using solar and wind power. :)

According to the poster, just one load per week saves 120kg of greenhouse gas and about $20. Again, those dollar savings get bigger as power prices rise. And (if you don't have one already) you save hundreds by not buying a dryer.

< Tip 3 ::

Repower Promo

2011-12-05T23:00:00.005+10:00

The AYCC did this great promo design for their current petition to Repower Australia with renewable energy. :)

Geosequestration That Might Work :)

2011-12-02T23:42:00.003+10:00

Normally geosequestration refers to the condensing, compressing and burying underground of greenhouse emissions from fossil fuel based power stations (and crossing our fingers that they stay down there). There are a number of questions about it - not least of which is why would we bother when renewables would be cheaper than that whole process.

So it amused me to see a different suggestion of how we could bury something if we want to reduce our pollution :)

How The Media Dupes Us

2011-12-01T20:18:00.009+10:00

I've done a few pieces on climate change in the media, and the lack of journalistic rigour. [Links: 1 2 3 4] Now the stats are here to prove it.

The Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (University of Technology, Sydney) has released a study A Sceptical Climate.

The study of 3971 articles across 10 Australian newspapers, on the topic of carbon policy produced some interesting stats.

73% Negative, 27% Positive (excluding neutral articles). It was 82-18 in News Limited papers. Fairfax papers, a more balanced 43-57.

Scary headlines sell papers. Even neutral articles were given twice as many negative headlines (41%) than postive ones (19%). Just ask Gail Kelly :)

Negative language. 51% of articles referred to a "carbon tax" (the prefered term of opponents) while just 11% used the term "carbon price" (the prefered term of proponents). In News Limited papers it was 70-8.

Who gets the microphone? Business received more coverage than all civil society sources combined (unions, NGOs, think tanks, activists, members of the public, religious spokespeople, scientists and academics). Within business, fossil fuel companies and the like received far more coverage than clean energy and supportive businesses.

That's the quick guide to how a media can dupe the unsuspecting reader. For more detail and stats, check out the full report. For Aussies, it's also interesting to see what coverage is like in your state.

[Link: Full Report]

Hot Days (Summer In The City)

2011-11-29T08:16:00.010+10:00

As we approach the Australian summer, there's a lot of talk about how hot it is for November. It doesn't usually get this hot until Dec - Feb. I usually try to restrain myself from steering such chit-chat into a climate change discussion - until now.

I'm currently working for a group developing a disaster resilience program, and one of the tasks involved uploading climate change projections to our website. This table is the projected annual number of hot days (over 35°C) for where i live.

We are used to 12 hot days. In the future that's projected to be up to 65. That's more than 2 months over 35°C. If we are finding a slightly warm November uncomfortable, we should perhaps increase our efforts to reduce climate change.
---
ps. other places are even more severe. Weipa, currently experiences 55 hot days per year, but is projected to get up to 263 in the decades to come. That's almost 9 months of days over 35°C!

[pps. It's intriguing that after all this time, and all these posts, the sheer impact of climate change can still stun me.]

2 Billion Parades

2011-11-28T07:03:00.002+10:00

America's famous Thanksgiving Day parade is famous for it's enormous balloons. These character balloons can each be the size of a medium-sized building, and require dozens of people to control them, and prevent them from floating away.

Clearly, it takes a huge amount of helium to fill these balloons. But the people at the Climate Reality Project did the maths to compare the amount of gas for the annual parade, to the amount of annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Turns out that to put the world's greenhouse gases into parade balloons (even giant ones) we would need to have 2 billion parades each year. That's a lot of gas!

[Related Links: Other ways of visualising emissions - as a giant ball, compared to a double-decker bus, or as a globe-covering quilt.]

Do You See What I See?

2011-11-25T18:42:00.002+10:00

Classic graph from the good people at Sceptical Science.

If someone is determined to convince themselves the globe is not warming, then a narrow enough view can help them think that.

[Related Links: How You View The Figures :: The Warmer Years]

True Green Kids

2011-11-24T18:01:00.001+10:00

This book is the junior version of previous titles True Green, and True Green Home. Like those books, it features one tip (and large picture) per page - which makes it a very easy read.

In this edition, the tips are things easily manageable by kids - saving energy, recycling, riding a bike to school, or starting a small garden. But it also provides a few bigger ideas that a class might do together, and some resources for kids to learn more.

Tip 3 - A Cold Move

2011-11-21T22:40:00.006+10:00

This i something i've mentioned before, but washing clothes in "cold" water uses only a small fraction of the energy of a hot wash.

This is another area (like Tip 1) where a simple change can reduce electricity consumption by more than half (90% according to the poster).

(Sidenote: I put the word "cold" in quotation marks, because what i really mean is 'room temperature'. We are entering summer here in Austalia, and "cold" isn't always the best decription of what comes out of that tap.)

< Tip 2 :: Tip 4 >

David's Soapbox - Doubters

2011-11-18T19:48:00.005+10:00

Having solved climate change in his previous video, comedian David Mitchell looks at the other thing that might be slowing us down. People who don't think there is even a problem.

As he points out, when even the American Association of Petroleum Geologists agrees there is climate change - it should seem pretty clear.

He compares it to a product recall. When there's a chance a product could make a few people sick, we recall the product. If we're talking about the planet being uninhabitable, surely we should take action.

My favourite bit was about the fire bit - 'Sure you might smell smoke, we're having difficulty breathing, and it's getting hot in here, but until i have proof the roof is on fire....'
[It's much funnier when he says it :)]

Living Like Ed

2011-11-17T22:14:00.004+10:00

TV personality Ed Begley Jr has put together this great book of tips for an eco-friendly lifestyle. There are plenty of tips, with great detail, but yet they are easy to read.

There are extra bonus features too. His wife has short segments during the book, where she says what it was like from her perspective. There are also recipes (in the food and garden chapter) and a workbook at the end to help put all these great tips into action.

Tip 2 - Greenpower

2011-11-14T08:01:00.004+10:00

Ok, this tip isn't so much about saving energy. It's more about reducing greenhouse gases. Whatever energy we use has to come from somewhere - and it's better if it comes from renewable power.

Selecting Greenpower from your electricity supplier means that amount of electricity comes from renewable sources. I personally have selected 100% Greenpower, reducing my electricity footprint to zero.

I think of it like an electricity election. The more people who 'vote' for renewable energy, the more there will be.

< Tip 1 :: Tip 3 >

100s of Reasons to Say Yes

2011-11-08T19:50:00.003+10:00

In a great day for action on climate change, Australia's parliament passed a price on pollution through the Senate. To mark the occasion, community organisation Say Yes has released a book of reasons to 'say yes' to action on climate change.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard was given a copy of the book, and the entries (which also appeared on the lawn of parliament) have been placed in a time capsule for future generations to look back on.

Tip 1 of 10

2011-11-07T06:35:00.005+10:00

Recently I was at Sustainable House Day and this banner of tips was displayed at one of the homes.

The first tip was one of my favourites - energy-saving bulbs. On the banner it says that replacing five lights with CFLs will save (every year) around 450kg of CO₂ and about $70 from your wallet - and that's in just one year! You can see why it's one of my favourites!
Note: This saving would have increased with the price of electricity since the printing of the banner

Move on to Tip 2 >

Manufactured Doubt

2011-11-04T07:40:00.008+10:00

As a handful of Australian politicians sink to a new level of denial (illogical and hypocritical) I thought it a might be appropriate to play the Doubt clip from the Climate Reality Project.

Like the cigarette companies of the 60s ("Doubt is our product") vested interests like to manufacture doubt in the hope that people will stay with their current habits - however harmful that may be.

The Hungry Tide

2011-10-31T07:41:00.002+10:00

Over the weekend i saw the short but powerful documentary, The Hungry Tide. It's a heart-wrenching and eye-opening account of what climate change is doing to the island nation of Kiribati, and how the locals are powerless to stop it. For the next 10 days you can see it free online.

For a quick taste of the what the movie is about, check out the photo gallery.

It may be best summed up by the President of Kiribati, Anote Tong: "To plan for the day when you no longer have a country is indeed painful but I think we have to do that."

Related link:- Kiribati Government Climate Change website

Discussion Postponed

2011-10-28T20:35:00.002+10:00

When Wind Made Electricity Free

2011-10-26T19:47:00.007+10:00

If you saw the SBS special Power Play (on the causes of electricity price rises) you would have seen one of the experts talking about how renewables can actually drive the price down. He compared it to food - where a 'bumper crop' brings downs the price at the market, as sellers compete to sell their product.

Recently, there was a classic example of this. For just a few minutes the market price of wholesale electricity dropped to $0.00. This is an extreme example, and only happened for a few minutes, but is an example of how the price can come down when renewables are in the market.

Human Bicycle

2011-10-18T23:31:00.004+10:00

A couple of weeks ago i mentioned 350.org's event - Moving Planet. This part of the event happened in Melbourne.

I just reckon it's a great photo, and an inspired piece of creativity. :)

David's Soapbox - Furniture and Financial Incentive

2011-10-14T06:23:00.007+10:00

David Mitchell starts with a rant about flimsy furniture, and ends up with an idea to inspire companies to be more environmental.

"For instance, air travel is far cheaper than it is environmentally viable. Why not shift the burden of a problem to the people who would benefit financially from solving it. That's what a carbon tax would do.

Once that tax system is initiated, you (the politician) won't have to hug a single tree. You just have to make low emissions part of the profit incentive. Companies won't choose to do it themselves. Why should they? Their job is to make money. Your job is to protect the people who elected you."

[More David Mitchell]

Australia Says Yes

2011-10-12T23:01:00.002+10:00

It's a happy day as Australia's House of Representatives today passed a price on pollution. There is still the Senate vote next month, but today was a day of celebration. The group Say Yes filled the lawn of parliament house with the words "Say Yes To Clean Energy".

The words were made from signs submitted by the general public, each one giving a reason for saying yes. What a sight!

The Littlest Arctic

2011-10-11T07:00:00.004+10:00

New World Record. Last month the Arctic was the smallest we've ever seen it. This graph shows the yearly cycle. Ice melts in the middle (summer) period, then builds back during the rest of the year. But each year it's getting smaller.

The black dots are the 30-year averages. The crosses are 2007 and the 2 blue lines are the last 2 years. September 2011 was the lowest point so far, as we get closer to having no arctic ice.

So here's your chance to play amateur-scientist. Using this and other recent graphs at the Arctic Sea Ice Blog - make a prediction. When do you think the Arctic will first lose all its ice?

Rugby World Cup - A Different View

2011-10-10T06:30:00.004+10:00

Ok, so the quarter finals of the 2011 Rugby World Cup are done and dusted. Congrats to all the winners. But what would it look like if this was a carbon emissions world cup? Here's how the quarter finals would have panned out:

Clearly Australia would have (coal)powered its way through the quarterfinals (tripling South Africa's score), pushed aside New Zealand comfortably and won the final with ease.

Of course, i suspect this won't happen in the real world cup. :(
If only we could increase our rugby score, and decrease our pollution score.

How would your country do? See the rankings.

Friday Funnies - Objections

2011-10-07T22:02:00.004+10:00

I thought this cartoon summed up the political situation nicely. There are things that clearly need to be done, but there'll always be objections by someone trying to undermine it. I notice that the guy on the right is drawn with his eyes closed and facing away from the issue. :)

Powershift 2011

2011-10-05T19:10:00.005+10:00

Here in Australia, youth movement AYCC hold an event called Powershift. On Oct 15-17, people aged 25 and under will be gathering in Brisbane to take part in forums, workshops, concerts, social activities, and a large public action.

You can still register for the event at www.powershift.org.au

[Related Link: Powershift 2009]

David Mitchell On His Soapbox

2011-09-30T16:10:00.001+10:00

I'm a bit of a fan of comedian David Mitchell's Soapbox. In this one he pokes a bit of fun at, well, people like me - who are enthusiastic about solving climate change. (He's quite witty about it though).

He does recognise the "clear scientific fact of climate change" but in that ever-so-British way, thinks we should do it because we have to, rather than enjoy it.

I just can't persuade myself that climate change isn't happening. I'd like someone to convince me that it's not happening. But they haven't. Because it is.

So let's do our recycling, not use planes as much .... not because it's exciting or fun, but because we have to.

Moving Planet

2011-09-29T22:07:00.004+10:00

Last weekend, around the world, people got moving for climate solutions. Here's a small montage of some of the events.

"Moving Planet" was an initiative of 350.org

Climate 101

2011-09-27T00:06:00.007+10:00

This 4 minute summary of climate change was one of the bonus videos from the Climate Reality Project.

It's a good, quick summary of climate change - done in that retro style of the old school educational films (which is kind of amusing).

We're In This Together

2011-09-23T19:13:00.007+10:00

The art continues from Jeremyville. Last week i showed one of his cartoons promoting the Reality Project. There is now a collection of 12, including this one.

I particularly like it because of the message that sometimes our politicians don't get. If you're in a sinking boat with someone, you do something about it. You don't just sit there waiting for each other to do something.

Earth Relay

2011-09-21T18:05:00.005+10:00

The Earth Ball at the centre of the Say Yes Earth Relay.

It will make it's way through Victoria and onto Canberra in support of the Australian government finally putting a price on pollution.

Make Your Own Sign

2011-09-19T20:16:00.005+10:00

We like to encourage politicians to do the right thing. But it's an awfully long way to Australia's capital - Canberra. Fortunately the Say Yes group have figured out a way around this.

You can add your voice of support by making your own digital sign and putting it on the digital parliament lawn. You get to choose the colour, write your own message, and even share it on your facebook profile if you want.

Brainstorming For Pollution

2011-09-16T23:18:00.002+10:00

One side-effect of government taking action on climate change is that groups of polluters get together to undermine the process. In Australia one of these groups is the 'Trade and Industry Alliance', whose main industry seems to be pumping out questionable ads. Their dodgy-ness inspired this satire of a brainstorming session:

Let's Shed Some Layers

2011-09-13T23:22:00.003+10:00

Artist "Jeremyville" put together this nice cartoon poster for this week's big event - The Climate Reality Project

Global Support

2011-09-12T18:50:00.007+10:00

It's great to have support when you're doing something courageous. And so it is with Australia at the moment. As our politicians finally take the initiative to put a price on carbon, the international community is sending us a message of support.

As i write this, almost half a million people from countries around the world have signed on to say:

From across the world we applaud the Australian proposal to tackle climate change through carbon pricing and investment in solutions for the future. With this law Australia will join a slew of forward thinking governments and will spur other major emitters to take bold action. We urge you to support your government's determination to fight for our planet's future.

Science Under Siege

2011-09-08T22:24:00.005+10:00

You may already know how much i like ABC's Catalyst program. Tonight Mark Horstman did a piece titled Science under Siege - a story about how science is ignored, the public is misinformed, and scientists receive death threats.

Climate science is not the only field in which this occurs, but it's probably the biggest at the moment. Mark Horstman looked at the anti-climate action protests - a campaign based on "a lack of understanding about how carbon emissions warm the atmosphere".

At the heart of this protest is the notion that the people here ... know better than most of the world's climate scientists.

But scarier than the dismissal of science was the hostility towards the scientists themselves. Individual death threats, and rally calls like this one from a leading protester, aimed at the scientists:

We are coming after you, we are going to prosecute you, and we are going to lock you up.

Is this the kind of society we want? As Professor Ian Chubb, Chief Scientist of Australia, asks "We're back to the Middle Ages aren't we? I mean, that's what they tried to do to Galileo."

Carbon Nation in Brisbane

2011-09-05T21:07:00.005+10:00

I loved seeing Carbon Nation on the weekend, in its first screening here in Brisbane. And the upcoming screenings were announced...

Sunnybank Hills Library, Sat 1 October, 2.30-4.30pm

Mt Ommaney Library, Sat 8 October, 1.00-3.00pm

Bulimba Library, Sun 16 October, 12.30-2.30pm

New Farm Library, Sat 29 October, 2.30-4.30pm

Indooroopilly Library, Sat 5 November, 2.00-4.00pm

Chermside Library, Sun 13 November, 12.30-2.30pm
If you can't get to a screening, you can always get your own copy.

It's Just Not Fair

2011-08-31T23:52:00.006+10:00

It's bad enough that climate change brings more extreme "natural" disasters. But what's incredibly unfair is that the people who suffer aren't those who did the damage. This is a map of the world distorted to reflect carbon emissions.

Conversely, this map is distorted to reflect the number of people killed by "natural" disasters.

Basically, it's the rich nations who have the means to create global damage, and it's the poor nations that can't afford to protect themselves.

10 Ways To Reduce Your Emissions

2011-08-25T12:37:00.003+10:00

The Adelaide Advertiser printed this list of tips to reduce your carbon footprint. Click the picture for a larger version, or read the full text here.

In short, the 10 tips were:
1. Make climate-conscious political decisions.
2. Eat less red meat.
3. Purchase “green electricity“.
4. Make your home and household energy efficient.
5. Buy energy and water efficient appliances.
6. Walk, cycle or take public transport.
7. Recycle, re-use and avoid useless purchases.
8. Telecommute and teleconference.
9. Buy local produce.
10. Offset what you can’t save.

Good News From Fukushima

2011-08-24T11:36:00.004+10:00

One good thing to come out of Fukushima is Japan's increased enthusiasm for moving to renewable energy. The Japanese parliament has voted to support renewable energy to the tune of 10 trillion yen ($124 billion Australian).

Apart from helping Japan move more quickly to renewables, it is expected that this move (in combination with China's strong support for renewables) will help world renewable energy prices come down even quicker than they are already.

Better Than Money In The Bank

2011-08-19T13:07:00.008+10:00

I think solar panels are a good investment - and i tell people so. Do i mean financial investment, or an investment for the planet? Well, both actually. The second is obvious, but for the first i did the maths.

As a straight return (savings divided by investment) i calculate an average of 19.1%. When you consider that bank interest is taxable, then a bank would have to give an even higher interest rate to provide the same value after tax. For a mid-range tax bracket, the bank would have to offer an average of 27.3% to match the value of solar panels. And i can't see that happening any time soon :)

[Link: My calculations in detail]

PS. Obviously, i've based these calculations on the conditions in my location of Brisbane, Australia. Sunshine, electricity prices and panel costs may vary from location to location.

New Deal On Solar

2011-08-17T22:17:00.000+10:00

There's the good news and the bad news. With the new financial year here in Australia, the government's 'solar credits' rebate has been reduced. The good news is that the cost of solar panels also keeps reducing.

For example Origin are still able to offer a 1.5kW system for just $3990 (depending on where you live).
---
ps. I'm not necessarily endorsing Origin, but they are my energy provider, so i'm informed about their deals each time i receive my energy bill.

Globe Goes For Green Energy

2011-08-15T21:14:00.003+10:00

One of my favourite myths to bust is the "other countries aren't doing anything" routine. A great example of the contrary is the news that global investment in renewable energy was up 32% in 2010.

And a lot of that came from developing countries. China invested the most of any country, while investment also grew in Central/South America (up 39%), the Middle East and Africa (up 104%) and India (pictured) experienced investment growth of 25% in renewable energy.

Carbon Price - South Park Style

2011-08-12T13:44:00.005+10:00

The creative young minds at the AYCC animated this little video:

They cover Australia's proposed carbon price system, using their own South Park style characters, explaining how it helps reduce pollution, and the pointing out where it doesn't far enough. Overall, they give it the 'thumbs up'.

Out Now! - Carbon Nation Movie

2011-08-10T16:04:00.007+10:00

I've shown you the trailer. Now Carbon Nation is out on DVD and iTunes.

Use the code cn20launch to get 20% off the DVD. The DVD extras include 8 deleted scenes, 2 audio commentaries and 3 new bonus cartoons.

If you just want to see the movie, check out carbonnationmovie.com for a screening near you.

If you're in Brisbane, stay tuned to this blog. A friend of mine is organising screenings around the city in the coming weeks...

[See the trailer]

Uncle Ernie

2011-08-09T15:04:00.016+10:00

"You've got to take the science seriously - and I do", says Malcolm Turnbull, despite being politically teamed with some who are seen as waging the 'war on science'.

"I do think there has been a war on science to some extent, an attack on climate scientists. Ignoring what the CSIRO says and ignoring what leading scientists say and discounting it all is silly."

But probably the best line in his appearance at the national press club was his likening of climate change denial to...

"..ignoring your doctor's advice on the basis that someone down the pub told you his uncle Ernie lived to 95 and smoked a packet of cork-tipped cigarettes every day and drank a bottle of whisky"

[Related Link: Conservatives Love Climate Change Action]

Community Wind

2011-08-08T23:44:00.004+10:00

One of the great things about renewable energy is that it's open to everyone - not just big companies with billions of dollars. One great example here in Australia is Hepburn Wind, a community-owned wind power enterprise.

The ABC recently did a story on the launch of the two 2-megawatt turbines, which will produce 12,200 MWh of energy each year (2300 homes worth) and the profits go back into the pockets of the community members who put up the cash to build them.

SBS Energy Saving Tips

2011-08-03T23:22:00.004+10:00

Last night SBS's Insight program had a great episode "Power Play", examining what causes rising electricity prices. (Short answer is increasing network costs - extra infrastructure that only gets used a few days per year).

You can watch the episode online, and also check out SBS's Tips for Energy Efficiency to save some energy in your home, and knock some dollars off that electricity bill.

Conservatives Love Climate Change Action

2011-08-02T13:36:00.007+10:00

Does being politically conservative have to mean allowing disastrous climate change to occur, in order to chase a few short term dollars? No, it doesn't.

This week British Conservative PM David Cameron supported Australia's move to put a price on pollution.

Being conservative doesn't have to mean being irresponsible on climate change - described by Mr Cameron as a "pressing threat to prosperity and security".

In order to tackle it effectively, all major economies will need to take robust action to curb their emissions and put their economies on a more sustainable, low-carbon footing.

Your announcement sends a strong and clear signal that Australia is determined to make its contribution to addressing this challenge.

And Mr Cameron is not just talk - his government recently announced plans to reduce the UK's emissions by 50% by 2025.

Ontario Ditches Coal

2011-07-27T23:18:00.005+10:00

Continuing my Canada theme from Monday, today i'm writing about Ontario which is getting itself off coal by 2014.

Ontario's support for renewable energy already sees it employ 20,000 people - a figure which is growing - and create $20 billion in private investment. In 2011, coal use is down 90% from 2003 rates. Apart from the environmental benefits, Ontario also calculates the elimination of coal will save the health system $3 billion annually.

After all of this, it still astonishes me to think that some still believe there's a future in sticking with coal!

Carbon Tax Working Nicely

2011-07-25T20:01:00.004+10:00

Canada's province of British Columbia introduced a carbon tax in 2008. At the time, section of the community were worried (similar to some Australians) but the fears proved groundless.

According to The Economist, the BC economy has outperformed the rest of Canada with higher growth, lower unemployment and lower income taxes. Not surprisingly, the carbon tax now has the majority support of BC residents.

At $30/tonne next year, it's a larger tax than the proposed Australian equivalent, and it includes petrol, but it's popular because it reduces emissions, reduces income tax and makes the economy stronger.

How You View The Figures

2011-07-22T14:26:00.004+10:00

What more can i say? :)

Recycling Saves Energy

2011-07-21T11:19:00.003+10:00

This poster is attached to the tables in the shopping centre food court.

I still find these stats amazing to think about. There's no way we'd leave a light on for 20 hours for no reason, but people still put bottles in the garbage - even though it wastes the same amount of energy.

A friend lives about 15km west of me. It still stuns me that recycling 6 cans saves the same amount of energy as (my share of) the bus journey to his place. But i guess that's the point of the poster - to let us know just how much energy we can save simply by using the recycle bin.

Clean Energy Future - Videos

2011-07-19T18:19:00.004+10:00

The Australian government has recently released a series of advertisements about it's Clean Energy Future package. This is one of them.

The others (along with some radio spots) are available on the website.

South Korea To Cut Emissions By 30%

2011-07-18T17:20:00.005+10:00

One of the most-used (yet untrue) excuses for not acting on climate change is the well-worn line "the rest of the world is not acting". In the past few days yet another nation has announced plans more ambitious than ours.

This time it's South Korea. You may remember me writing about their emissions trading scheme, and serious investment in renewables. Anyway, now they have announced a plan to reduce their emissions by 30% by 2020.

Meanwhile Australia's target is 5% by 2020. Remind me again Mr Polluter ... who did you say was the one not acting?

24 Hours Of Reality

2011-07-15T15:21:00.004+10:00

24 Time Zones, 24 Hosts, 1 Message. That's the basic idea behind the Climate Reality Project - happening September 14.

In each time zone the event will kick off at 7pm, combining for a 24-hour "round-the-clock, round-the-globe snapshot of the climate crisis in real time".

The aim of the event is to "focus the world’s attention on the full truth, scope, scale and impact of the climate crisis ... an issue that affects every one of us". Via the internet, you can see the action at any of the locations. I'm peronally excited that Queensland (where i live) is the location for my time zone.

Link: Facebook event page

Household Assistance Package

2011-07-14T13:53:00.004+10:00

The Australian Government has created a website for it's Clean Energy Future package. Which is probably a better name, because the price on pollution is just part of the plan.

While there is lots of information there about the package (which might interest international readers), Australian readers might also be interested to check out the Household Estimator.

The Australian government has decided to give assistance (particularly to households that need it most) as some companies may raise their prices, rather than reduce their emissions. The estimator gives you an idea of how much assistance you will get - which is quite generous, unless you are already quite wealthy.

Carbon Price Details

2011-07-13T18:49:00.003+10:00

As i've alluded to over the past 2 days, Australia has just announced a price on carbon - to take effect July 1, 2012. Some of the details (if you didn't see monday's video) are:

- $23/tonne price for emitting carbon pollution
- Target now 80% pollution reduction by 2050
- $10 billion for renewable energy
- Help for vulnerable people
- Preventing any further coal-fired power stations

Oh, and sorry to international readers, but i'm quite focussed on Australia this week, as we eventually take steps towards real action.

The Facts On Food

2011-07-12T17:39:00.005+10:00

One of the easiest ways to scare people about something (eg. a price on pollution) is to say that it will make everything more expensive (and to avoid mentioning that these increases will be barely noticeable). Here's just a portion of the ABC's graphic showing how miniscule the effect on food will really be.

For all the hysteria about food prices going up, a quick fact or two quick brings us back to reality. Seriously, are we really going to notice the difference between paying $3.60 and $3.62 for a loaf of bread?

Carbon Price In 2 Minutes

2011-07-11T16:03:00.004+10:00

The people at GetUp summarise Australia's announcement of a carbon price in this 2 minute animation.

Their website also has the video, along with some helpful answers to common questions.

Friday Funnies - Evidence

2011-07-08T18:05:00.003+10:00

If you search long enough (and ignore almost almost everything you see) you can still think there's no cause for concern. ;) Great cartoon!

Polluter Watch

2011-07-07T16:56:00.003+10:00

It seems polluters will say anything to try to weasel out of paying for their pollution. So a few organisations have teamed up for Polluter Watch.

This details some of Australia's biggest polluters, some of the claims they have made, and how those claims are untrue. It includes individual critiques of RioTinto, TRUenergy, Alcoa, BHP Billiton, Bluescope Steel, International Power and Woodside.

Long-time readers might remember some of those names from when they were exposed for claiming one thing to the government (that a price on pollution would be disastrous) and the exact opposite to their investors (that everything is fine and dandy).

Saving 60-69% On Fuel

2011-07-06T15:40:00.004+10:00

A classic case of saving money (and pollution) by picking a smarter car. For her government vehicle, incoming Green Senator Larissa Waters would prefer a Toyota Prius but for now is stuck with the Calais chosen by the conservative senator she was elected to replace.

So what's the difference? A current Toyota Prius consumes 3.9 L/100km, and emits just 89g CO2/km. The Green Vehicle Guide, says the various Calais models consume between 9.8 and 12.6 L/100km (though the holden website cheekily quotes 9.8) and emit between 234 and 298 gCO2/km.

In short, this puts the Prius somewhere between 2.5 - 3.35 times more efficient than the previous senator's car. Or to put it another way, when Senator Waters gets the Prius she wants, the fuel bill will be 60-69% less. That's the kind of difference a smart choice can make.

Go Green For Jobs

2011-07-05T20:32:00.004+10:00

Some people are still worried about the job-impact of climate action. In the US they worry about steel. But it turns out that solar already employs way more people than steel. 93,500 to 20,000.

Meanwhile, another article on the same site, reported that money spent on renewable energy generates over 3 times as many jobs than the same amount of money spent on fossil fuels.

What Price Carbon? (A Guessing Game)

2011-07-04T22:37:00.004+10:00

The news is that Australia's carbon price will be announced this Sunday. Obviously the polluters want it to be quite low (eg $10/tonne) while one report says the price needs to be $40/tonne to stimulate a move away from coal.

Recent government financial modelling has been done across the range of $20-$30/tonne, and the government's financial adviser (Ross Garnaut) has suggested a starting price of $26/tonne.

So what do you think it will be? Have your guess as a comment, and we'll see who gets the closest.

I'm going to say $22, which i think is lower than it should be - because i'm concerned that lobbyists from the polluters might cause the government to weaken.

The Electric Life

2011-07-01T15:48:00.003+10:00

Renault have put out this clever litte ad for electric cars. I enjoy a well-made ad, that is also promoting something good.

Beyond Petrol

2011-06-30T18:48:00.006+10:00

Long-time readers know of my fondness for ABC's science progam Catalyst. Recently, Jonica Newby did a two-part story on cars. Part One was about the looming Oil Crunch (in case climate change and the price of fuel weren't enough reason to look for alternative transport).

Part Two is Beyond Petrol - looking at the amazing electric cars that will start arriving in Australia in 2012. Definitely worth a watch.

Bangladesh World Record Solar

2011-06-29T18:25:00.006+10:00

I'm a fan of renewable energy, and was heartened to see people really switching on to solar in the past year. But it seems we're being left behind by Bangladesh.

Even in the empoverished nation, the number of households with solar power has passed 1 million - the fastest expansion of solar in the world. Granted their systems are small (like the one pictured) because they have less gadgets to power, but it's still an amazing increase from just 7,000 in 2002.

According to the world bank, the solar panels "changed the face of the remote, rural areas of Bangladesh" by providing cheap, reliable electricity. They are now aiming for 2.5 million by 2014.

Well done Bangladesh - i wish my country could match that.
[news source]

Can You Say Yes?

2011-06-28T22:36:00.005+10:00

You may already know that Australia is on the cusp of taking serious action on climate change - but it hasn't been decided yet. With politics, there's a chance that courage may be lost at the last minute.

To help prevent this, the Say Yes group is constantly talking with policians and reminding them that Australians want them to "Say Yes" to climate action. Obviously the greater the number of Australians they represent, the better it is.

So you could you do me (and the planet) a favour and sign up on the website (just under the video clip). It only takes a few seconds to let them know that you want to Say Yes to...
- a cleaner Australia
- new jobs
- funding renewable energy
- making big polluters pay
and doing something about climate change.

Fossil Fuels End Date

2011-06-27T17:46:00.003+10:00

As if climate change wasn't a good enough reason to move away from fossil fuels, GE put together this interactive animation of remaining supplies.

Of course, we should abandon fossil fuels long before supplies run out (both to avoid completely catastrophic climate change, and because dwindling supplies means skyrocketting prices). But my main point is this...

Getting energy from fossil fuels is NOT a long term solution. We clearly need to move to renewables. The sooner the better.
---
ps. the graphic above is based on current annual rates of uasge increase. If our usage picks up even quicker, and we don't use renewables, then the time frame is even shorter.

Rally With A Twist

2011-06-24T10:49:00.003+10:00

The AYCC is one of the groups supporting the Say Yes campaign. They recently put up this video:

It's a point that's been made before, but this time in a different way.

Carbon Pollution - What Australia Thinks

2011-06-22T18:29:00.005+10:00

There's been some bizarre talk this week about a national plebiscite to determine whether Australians are in favour of a price on pollution. But it seems the Green Party are ahead of the game on finding out what Australia thinks, by comissioning an independent poll.

Turns out that 58% think taxing the big polluters is the best way to reduce pollution. 66% of people support a price on carbon (if compensation and renewable energy are funded from it), and 84% think the subsidies for fossil fuels companies should be re-directed to renewable energy.

That last result sounds very similar to the 87% that want carbon price revenue spent on renewables
---
(ps. Apologies to European readers. Yes, here in Australia we are still discussing initiating a price on pollution. I understand you decided this way back in 2003. Please be patient with us while we catch up.)

How Low Are Our Standards?

2011-06-21T18:14:00.005+10:00

The Department of Climate Change has several reports on what other countries are doing to reduce their emissions, and dependence on fossil fuels. This graph, from the report Countries Acting Now, shows each country's standards for fuel efficiency.

Compared to other countries, the cars we get sold here are total guzzlers. Cars in Europe and Japan are about 70% better than our current standards.

Good news is that smart shoppers are checking out the fuel efficiency and refusing to buy the duds. But the government should really make car companies lift their game.

Best Investment - Solar Power

2011-06-20T16:01:00.004+10:00

For ages, I've been saying that solar panels are the best investment going. Now the Australian Financial Review agrees.

In his article, David Hetherington goes through the numbers, and concludes that a small amount invested in solar reaps significant savings. To gain similar returns in shares, the initial investment would have to be 3 times as large.

What's more, he's talking about being totally self-sufficient (which means the added cost of batteries). Staying on the grid, and producing power from solar panels, costs even less.
[See my solar maths]

Polluters - Do Your Fair Share

2011-06-17T13:02:00.004+10:00

This is an ad that the Greens have put together. They're hoping to get enough support to put it on tv next week.

We're doing what we can ... it's time the big polluters did their fair share.

Whether or not you're a fan of the Greens, the ad has a good message.

Put a price on pollution and make clean energy cheaper.

Good News - Solar 2010

2011-06-16T23:29:00.006+10:00

To balance out the slightly depressing graph of yesterday, here is a nice optimistic piece from the report PV in Australia 2010. It shows the total amount of solar panels installed at the end of each year (from 1992 to 2010).

As you can see, by Dec 31 2010, we had 3 times as many panels as we did just one year earlier. In other words - if you add up all the solar panels Australia has ever put up in our entire history (to 2009); then double it; that's how many panels were installed during 2010.

That has to be encouraging! :)
-----
ps. part of the reason is probably that solar is getting cheap fast.
pps. the green section is ordinary households putting panels on their roof. They have an even more amazing increase - almost 5 times more panels!

Escalating Emissions

2011-06-15T23:30:00.007+10:00

I found this graph in a recent article "Very worried? ... You should be".

The black line is world emissions (measured in billions of tonnes). Back in 2000 the IPCC calculated some future scenarios (the coloured lines). At the moment we're tracking pretty close to the worst-case scenario, even after the GFC-dip.

The scientists reckon this will lead to around 4 degrees of warming. For the record, it is commonly accepted that anything over 2 degrees is catastrophic.

[more details in the original article]

Solar For Everyone

2011-06-14T21:55:00.005+10:00

Caught this great ad on SBS tonight. It's not saying anything that i haven't mentioned before, but i thought it was well done.

Oh, and if you live in Australia and are thinking of getting solar, i'd really encourage you to sign up before June 30, because the government subsidy reduces from July 1.

Friday Funnies - Abbott v Abbott

2011-06-10T14:56:00.007+10:00

These two comedians do a weekly TV spot, where one is the interviewer and the other plays the role of a public figure - this week Tony Abbott.

Background for non-Australian readers:
Tony Abbott is a federal politician (the leader of the opposition) and has recently been most known for his strident opposition to a price on carbon. However, this week a video emerged (from 2009) where he was promoting the virtues of a carbon tax.

[Links: 2009 Video; Explanation]

The Meaning Of "Upper End"

2011-06-09T14:44:00.004+10:00

If you were to look at these grey bars, where would you say the "upper end" is? Apparently the government think it's the red line.

The bars represent a variety of forecasts of sea level rise. Recently Climate Change Minister Greg Combet launched a report that modelled the effects of sea level rise up to 1.1m (claimed to be a worst-case scenario).

The "$226 billion dollars of coastal assets" vulnerable to a 1.1m sea level rise is (by my definition) well short of a worst-case scenario. I agree with the minister when he said this data is not trying to scare people. It seems to do exactly the opposite, by blissfully pretending that a mid-range prediction is as bad as it could ever get.

[info courtesy of David Spratt, author of Climate Code Red]

Reverse The Effect - Queensland

2011-06-08T18:55:00.006+10:00

Today's tip is a local one. In my home state of Queensland, drivers can reverse the effect of their vehicle's annual emissions. And what's more, the government is putting up half the money.

Granted, it's better to avoid or reduce the emissions in the first place. But the next best thing is to offset them. On the website, vehicle owners can select their type of vehicle and how many years of driving to offset, and the calculator does the rest - including billing half the cost to the state government. (Now that's convenient ;)

Dirty Money - USA

2011-06-07T20:15:00.006+10:00

I recently discovered a fantastic (though depressing) website that may explain why America is making so little progress in moving towards renewable energy, while still using taxpayer's money to subsidise oil and coal.

It's called Dirty Money, and it's where you can find your local representative, and just how much coal and oil money they've taken. I've written about Joe Barton before - so i looked up his diagram (yes it's so big it needs a diagram)

On the website you can hover over the circles to see each oil/coal company and how much cash they've swung Joe's way. But the scariest bit is when you hover over his face, and the grand total comes up. $1,882,433. And he's not even the biggest!

Beware The Unsourced Figure

2011-06-06T17:51:00.006+10:00

It's the job of MediaWatch to expose when media outlets aren't exactly meeting the standards of competent journalism. One such example was a newspaper doing a beat-up about the impacts of a price on carbon.

As Jonathan Holmes explains, they somehow produced exact dollar amounts for a particular family - based on almost no information. As if that wasn't bad enough, these baseless figures were then treated as if they would affect the family this financial year - even though the carbon price doesn't start for another 13 months. Dodgy.

Hence the Mediawatch headline "Beware the unsourced figure". Sometimes when a carbon price sounds unbelievably high, it might (quite literally) be not believable.

[Related link: Mediawatch on Climate Change coverage]
[Related link: Expert downplays carbon tax price rises]

Is It Really Worth It?

2011-06-03T12:26:00.005+10:00

When i read this cartoon on Wednesday in the book i reviewed, i thought it was kind of witty. But it takes on a more serious tone after watching yesterday's video on Tuvalu.

(Probably because the Tuvaluans are suffering even though they weren't the ones with the big cars and tumble dryers etc)
------
ps. Australians: Have fun at the Say Yes support rallies this weekend :)

Hungrybeast On Tuvalu

2011-06-02T16:50:00.014+10:00

You probably know of Tuvalu - the low-lying country that will probably be the first to disappear due to climate change. This week Hungrybeast showed what it's like to be a Tuvaluan. It's only a few minutes long, but very interesting.

For more videos like this (showing the real human effects of climate change) see my earlier post. For previous stuff i've written about Tuvalu, click here.

Save Energy & Cut Your Bills

2011-06-01T18:36:00.004+10:00

Author Nick White identifies three things stopping us from saving energy - either we don't know how; we think it's too expensive; or we think it's too much effort. He deals with all three of these in his book, by showing how much we can save from relatively easy changes.

His ideas come in three flavours - no-cost (turning things off and eliminating standby power), low-cost (efficient light bulbs etc) and investment (insulation, solar panels) and he is proud to announce that his last electricity bill was just 15 pounds for the quarter.

For the reader in a hurry, the book has three summaries at the very start - a 1-minute, 5-minute and 10-minute version. (That's short enough to read in the aisle of book store!) Also at the end of each chapter there's a quick list of "10 Things to Remember" that sums up the contents of that chapter.

Again, this is a British publication, so possibly some of the really specific information might be different in your area. But this is still a useful book, and can help you do just what the title says - save energy and cut your bills.

The Savings Of Solar

2011-05-31T13:06:00.005+10:00

I put together a little page of Solar Maths to outline the financial benefits of solar power, but nothing puts it quite as simply as this diagram.

It's from the Story Of Solar, an interactive cartoon-based tutorial on solar power, and demonstrates the savings of going solar (shaded orange).

When you think about it, it's quite obvious. With electricity prices going up and up, it makes sense to switch to power that (once it's paid for) becomes free.

Say Yes Australia - TV Spot

2011-05-30T11:23:00.007+10:00

Last week I mentioned the community initiative Say Yes Australia. This is the TV spot that will be on Australian TV's this week.

It features Australian actors Cate Blanchett and Michael Caton, who both donated their time and effort because they believe in the cause. Saying 'Yes' to less pollution, more jobs, better health, and more.

Michael Caton (known to Australians from 'The Castle' and 'Packed To the Rafters') was also interviewed on tv, talking about why he's taking a stand.

Window Of Opportunity

2011-05-27T17:30:00.004+10:00

Inkcinct's humorous take on the not-so-humorous report released earlier this week.