AYCC and Carrotmob
I spoke in Parliament today about the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, as well as Canberra’s first ‘Carrotmob’.
Climate Change, 16 June 2011
In politics, some of the most important decisions you make are the ones that outlive you, whether it is the Menzies government’s decision to expand basic research through the CSIRO, the Keating government’s decision to put in place a superannuation guarantee or this government’s decision to dramatically improve early childhood education. Great policy is made with the long game in mind. In the case of climate change, the decisions we make today will matter more for my sons than they will for me. It will be my little boys whose world will be most affected if sea levels continue to rise and temperatures increase. Young people in my electorate, much like their peers across Australia, want a clean energy future, a future where Australia prices carbon.
This was the message 24 enthusiastic young Canberrans brought to me last week: Claire Bailey and Laura Hyde, year 9 students from Campbell High School; Kiara Creaser from Dickson College; Fehin Coffey, Sophia Rose O’Rourke, Kirk Demant and Claire Hickstepp from Orana School; Vicki Tjandra and Andrew Lovering from the University of Canberra; and Zoe Anderson, Moira Cully, Laura Hogan, Eliza Hopkins, Lindsey Cole, Charlotte Wood, Joshua Creaser, Jonathan Rosseau, Tess Corkish, Ben Huttner-Koros, Adam Huttner-Koros, Alexandra Gill, Hayley Shone, Ben Molan and Tom Sloan from the Australian National University.
These young Canberrans presented me with a petition signed by 700 people supporting a price on carbon and investment in renewable energy. They did so under the umbrella of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. The AYCC has been determined to see Australia act. They have been dogged in their determination and unwavering in their commitment to ensure youth throughout Australia have their voices heard. It is often said that young, progressive activists are anti-market, that they are hostile to economics. But Australia’s young climate change activists show how wrong this is. The AYCC activists I met with understand there is no contradiction between economic growth and environmental preservation and that a market based mechanism is the most efficient way of tackling dangerous climate change.
Speaking of markets, I want to use this opportunity to commend the organiser of Canberra’s first ‘Carrotmob’. Modelled as the environmental equivalent of a flash mob, Carrotmobs attract extra shoppers in return for the store owner’s commitment to spend the extra revenue on improved energy efficiency. I commend Ren Webb and the other Carrotmob organisers who helped Ainslie IGA manager Manuel Xyrakis accumulate an extra $12,000 to spend on reducing his store’s carbon footprint.
Thousands of Australians, young and old, support market based mechanisms for tackling climate change. It is time for all members of parliament to get on board. We need to price carbon now.
Leigh, you are an absolute tool. A typical left wing academic geek who has never worked a day in his life who joins a political party and has a job for life in a safe seat where the idiots will vote Labor even if Mickey Mouse was the candidate.
You might like to write masturbatory crap about young people and their so-called commitment to the future and belief in so-called climate change, but what about us? Pensioners who are sick and tired of electricity bills going up because of Labor’s renewable energy targets? Too scared to turn on a light because we can’t afford it? Staring down the barrel of not being able to eat because the carbon tax will escalate the cost of everything. ALL TO PLEASE A BUNCH OF GREENIES. All to give wankers like you a warm and fuzzy feeling. I don’t give a flying [OMITTED - DO YOU REALLY NEED TO SWEAR TO MAKE YOUR POINT? ED] about a bunch of naive kids and a mealy-mouthed politician who grovels to this wankery, I care where my next meal will come from, I care about my elderly mother and my aunts and uncles who are being driven to the poorhouse by this green zealotry.
I know that you are the darling of The Canberra Times and other members of the left wing/green set with all this crap you are spouting about climate change, but the vast majority of Australians are screaming out for all this to STOP! For a break from rising prices, for a break from grovelling to The Greens, for an end to air-headed wankery about “saving the planet” and for a break from ignorant tools like you living in a little bubble on the public teat.
I’m counting the days until the next election when you and the rest of your mates will be on the opposition benches and we can completely brush the nightmare of the past year or so. It doesn’t matter what a bunch of bike riding, latte-sipping public servants and their kids north of the lake tell you, there is real anger and hatred brewing towards you and this government in the real Australia, and no amount of “carrotmobs” at Ainslie Shops will ever counter that.
John I am sitting here dumb founded by both your ignorance and aggressiveness. First of all, how you find the arrogance to argue with every top scientist in the world about climate change is beyond all reasonable understanding. By arguing that climate change is ‘crap’ you are effectively saying that NASA, the CSIRO and every major university in the world including MIT, Cambridge and Oxford are full of crap (just to name a few). Do you really claim to know more than the combination of all of the worlds leading scientific communities? The fact of the matter is that the decision to act on climate change should not be yours to make. You will be long gone when half of the pacific islands are underwater and the coastline of Australia is completely reshaped. That unfortunate fate will fall upon the youngest members of our society and the poor souls who have not yet been born. Can you really sit there and say that you don’t care about the next generations?
I wholeheartedly agree that we must never be in a position where our citizens cannot afford food, but that is the premise behind the carbon tax – the money comes right back to you. Australia has the highest carbon emissions per capita in the world. We are in a disgusting state and something needs to be done about it. No a carbon tax is not a single solution. We must invest in renewable energy, reopen the nuclear debate and continue to pioneer new technologies that allow us to head towards a carbon neutral economy. This can be done without damage to our economy and it needs to be done now. Australia has the opportunity to be a leader in the clean energy industry, an industry which is only become more and more profitable. Those who say that climate action is bad for the economy are simply not wise enough to see how creativity and ingenuity can help Australia become a clean and prosperous economy.
As for your clearly prejudicial remarks about what you call Greenies let me just say this. The support for action on climate change has been estimated to be around 70% of the Australian population. Not many of them would consider themselves Greenies. In fact support for climate action is not a Green issue. It is an issue for all Australians. Please do not sacrifice the planet and our future generations because of the greed and selfishness of a select community that embraces ignorance and foolishness.
Andrew,
Thank you so much for proving yet again that you are an MP who takes the time to listen to your constituents about the issues that matter to them.
Thank you for pushing for a price on pollution. I hope you and you colleagues can make the starting price bold and fair. I hope you can continue to look past the abusive planted comments such as those above and continue to strive for an Australia which does not lag behind the remainder of the world. Such is the position we currently occupy. We are a very long way from our legislated 5% emissions reduction target.
I would like to ask that you please ensure that large amounts of the revenue from the carbon price goes to driving investment and innovation in renewable energy sources such as concentrated solar thermal with molten salt storage. We can use technology like CST to power a new generation of Australian lives and industries and we have all of the natural advantages to do so.
We have the potential to be a nation that does not ride on a sheep’s back, or on the back of big mining companies, but instead one which can choose its own destiny by punching above our weight in innovation and construction of renewable technology. The technical expertise we develop will become a net export for this country and as the world moves away from fossil fuels, we can be well placed to ensure that we reap the rewards of that transition.
I am excited by this future, and I hope you are too.
In order to be at the front of the pack on renewable technologies, we must make a choice however. A choice between a bold and a weak price on pollution. A choice between strong action and actions so weak that they might amount to no action at all. Any starting price on pollution must be high. Our politicians must be bold and that means you must be bold.
I look forward to being a part of an Australia that leads the world in renewables innovation. Please do your part in making sure that this happens.
Kind regards,
Tim Baxter
couldn’t have said it better than Tim!
Please be bold and make a price on pollution that will make a difference and send a strong message!
Kind regards,
David Leon
I think the work of Zero Carbon Australia and the 100% Renewble Energy movement articulate the vision and policy requirements well. We need a national feed in tariff for renewbles, demand management, energy efficiency. Solar PV is producing power cheaper than many new fossil fuel generators facing rising fuel costs. Current power cost rises are mainly due to infrstructure costs asssociated with peak power hungry air con, not renewables. Keep up the good work for our, Andew.
Thanks Andrew for presenting our case to the Parliament. Keep up the good work