Renewables Research, TIME, And Clean, Affordable Energy?

Commercial buildings are far more energy efficient than the residential sector according to data released at last week’s Green Cities 2011 Conference by property investment analyst IPD, AND commercial properties outperform non-rated buildings financially, reports The Age newspaper.

Sustainability engineers say that the great majority of residential property owners COULD save enough on their power bills – by being more energy watchful – to cover current projected energy price increases

AND

commercial buildings can do heaps more.

Bjorn Lomborg Advises LONGTERM Renewables Research NOT Panic

Bjorn Lomborg, speaker at Green Cities 2011, economist and Adjunct Professor at Copenhagen Business School, was once a skeptical environmentalist but is now listed as one of 50 people who could ‘save the planet’.

Bjorn presents

‘a fresh perspective based on human needs as well as environmental concerns, believing that panic is neither warranted nor a constructive place from which to deal with any of humanity’s problems, not just global warming.’

According to many, Bjorn spoke inspirationally at Green Cities 2011, advising government to invest $20 billion in renewables research over the next 10 years – bypassing all the angst and politicking that goes with Carbon Tax and emissions reduction proposals – to fund the hard work we need to get renewables working by 2030. He argues that:

“many of the elaborate and expensive actions now being considered to stop global warming will cost hundreds of billions of dollars, are often based on emotional rather than strictly scientific assumptions, and may very well have little impact on the world’s temperature for hundreds of years.

Rather than starting with the most radical procedures, Lomborg argues that we should first focus our resources on more immediate concerns, such as fighting malaria and HIV/AIDS and assuring and maintaining a safe, fresh water supply-which can be addressed at a fraction of the cost and save millions of lives within our lifetime.

He asks why the debate over climate change has stifled rational dialogue and killed meaningful dissent.”

There Is Now A 100% Renewables Community Campaign

100% Renewable is a community campaign connecting and supporting local community groups working for a renewable energy future.

Everyone Asking The Same Questions

In January 2009 over 500 community members from 100 local community groups came together in Canberra at Australia’s first Community Climate Summit and realised they were all asking:

Why in a country like Australia were we not getting serious about renewable energy?

Why was community doing its bit but the government so slow and what could we do to speed it all up?

The Plan

There is now a community owned campaign calling for a national feed-in tariff to support small, medium and large scale renewable energy projects as the first step towards a renewable energy future.

For more info visit 100% Renewable website.

Where Is Tim Flannery? Where Is The Climate Commission?

When Julia Gillard announced the Climate Commission I thought ‘What a good idea’. I was going to enjoy hearing all this complicated science/economics discussed by dispassionate experts. At the time Tim Flannery said (pdf):

“The Climate Commission will fulfill a key information and education role, enabling the Australian community to have a more informed conversation about climate change.”

WHERE in the current politicking mess is ‘rational dialogue and informed dissent’?