|
Editorial: Remember the “Peace for our Time” Speech |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by ESTV
|
|
Tuesday, 29 September 2009 16:13 |
|
Remember the “Peace for our Time” speech
|
This Time The Price of Doing Too Little is the Same as Doing Nothing
Up until now large scale tragedies have always happened somewhere else and the developed countries have had the luxury of looking on from a safe distance, sending their commiserations and apologising for not acting quicker.
But this time the problem is global. Climate Change is a threat to every nook and cranny in every country and every ocean in the world. There will be no where to escape its ravages and in the worst case scenario, it could lead to the end of mankind. But it doesn’t have to and we urge our world leaders not to wait until the last minute when destruction is staring us in the face before they act.
|
|
Don't let Political Inaction put the world at risk again
The world is facing a crisis at least as serious as that which faced Europe in 1938 (See sidebar). The failure by our world leaders to take action against Hitler in 1938 probably contributed to the world wide disaster known as World War ll. This time the issue staring us in the face is not world war but it is possibly more dangerous.
Climate Change has the potential to be natural disaster of cataclysmic proportions which most people have not faced up to yet and unfortunately that includes too many politicians.
1938 is the most devastating example in recent history of the consequences of inaction as practiced by politicians, it was not the last time. Unfortunately we see it happen all to often but the stakes are rarely this high.
|
|
[Click to enlarge]
|
|
20 Celsius? Big Deal. So what?
The following chart is provided by Rod Quantock a climate change activist and when he is not too depressed, a comedian in Melbourne.
The argument that Australia is such a small emitter of CO2 in comparison to other nations such as Europe, America, China and India and therefore we don’t need to act now; neglects the important role Australia has as a respected opinion leader.
Ordinary Australians have fought hard and worked hard for the benefit of mankind and this country has earned the respect of the world as a result. This legacy is handed from one generation to the next and with that goes the responsibility to use it wisely and for good.
What is the use of storing this respect away like a miser who hoards food instead of using it? It is time to use our influence to encourage other world leaders to take action on climate change now - not just for our own self interest but for the welfare of the world as a whole? Surely the time to employ one’s influence is precisely when everyone else is prevaricating and duck shoving.
The World Wide Views conferences held over the weekend in 39 countries and sponsored by the Copenhagen government is a chance for ordinary Australians to send a message to all political parties to get serious about our climate change response and we at ESTV hope they will heed it.
|
|
What difference Can 20 Make?In the video interview with Nicole Ikenberg, policy manager - climate change, for the WWF we talk about global warming, its effects and the need to keep this rise in temperature below 20. That’s two degrees Celsius above the temperature of the world in the pre industrial revolution period. We are already 10 warmer which wasn’t predicted to happen before 2012 and some scientists now predict that we will be two degrees hotter by 2030. The problem is, every time we reach a milestone and survive people say, see I told you so, it’s not such a big problem. But you only become extinct once
|
|
Share Link: 
