Dire warnings for the earth's survival

Bega District News

Tuesday, 7 November 2006

DIRE warnings for our future if our governments and we don't change our ways were delivered at the Sustainable Future Forum in the Bermagui Community Hall on Sunday.

The speakers for the day were Matthew Nott of Clean Energy for Eternity, anti-nuclear campaigner Helen Caldicott, concerned local resident Pat Thompson, Chris Allen of the Bega Eco-Neighbourhood Development, Dean Turner of The Crossing Land Education Centre and Suzanne Foulkes of Friends of the Five Forests.

The major concerns voiced by the speakers were climate change, water shortages, nuclear energy and depleted oil stocks.

Most pointed out that 92 per cent of those surveyed thought that the Commonwealth was not doing enough to invest in clean, renewable energy.

Ms Suzanne Foulkes of the Friends of the Five Forests said it was not a time for further political spin and prevarication.

"With both State and Federal elections due in 2007 we have to make it very clear to ministers and to candidates that we know the problems are not being properly addressed and that the environment is the political issue.

"It is vitally important that the continued destruction of our forests is halted and deforestation included on the agenda of any debate on climate change.

"The report released last week by Nicholas Stern, UK economist, makes the point that 'Action to avoid further deforestation should be an urgent priority'.

Ms Foulkes said local maps showed that virtually every major water catchment in the south east is in State Forests' hands.

"All of them have been logged severely and burned repeatedly over the last 40 years; every stream is silted up, every estuary has suffered heavy sedimentation which suffocates the natural water plants and prevents fish breeding.

"Forestry practices that are destroying our forests and the water transpiration cycles that our rainfall depends on.

"Water transpiration from trees returns water to the atmosphere.

"Deforestation causes diminished rainfall and increased desertification.

"The trees and their understorey plants retain water in the soil and keep it moist, they protect the land surface from landslides and erosion and prevent sediment runoff into streams.

"When the trees are removed these forests lose the ability to function as water catchments should."

Ms Foulkes said water was the highest value product that could be obtained from native forests.

"It is now very clear that the Australian people are way ahead of their governments in wanting action to prevent the inevitable collapse of the ecosystems that are our life-giving natural heritage."

Dr Helen Caldicott put dread into the hearts of all those at the forum as she spoke forcibly of the dangers of uranium mining, enriching uranium and nucelar energy.

She said the nuclear energy industry was a potent global warmer and reminded everyone that recently one of Sweden's plants was two minutes away from a meltdown which would have been as bad as Chernobyl.

Dr Caldicott, a paediatrician, said the genes of future generations would be affected by small amounts of radioactive fallout, but plutonium was far worse, with only a millionth of a gram causing lung cancer, liver cancer and, getting into the embryo, causing all kinds of genetic mutations.

She said that depleted uranium from USA weapons was still hanging around Iraqi fields and since the war started the incidence of children's cancer and deformed babies has risen by 700 per cent.

Dr Caldicott said there were plenty of other energy sources that could be used - solar, wind, geo-thermal, tidal - everything except nuclear.

"When we sell uranium we are selling cancer," she said

She said she did not think Prime Minister Howard would back a nuclear power station, despite his recent statements.

She believes the public will protest so much about it that he will withdraw and go for what he has already probably promised US president George Bush - the storing of the US nuclear waste in Australia.

Mr Chris Allen spoke about Bega Eco-Neighbourhood Development project that aims to be socially, ecologically and economically sustainable based on permaculture principles.

There will be mandatory standards for energy-efficient housing, a stand-alone water supply system harvesting rainwater and stormwater, a centralised system for the collection and treatment of domestic grey water, mandatory dry-composting toilets and a grid interactive neighbourhood-owned solar power system.

Ms Pat Thompson spoke about what people could do as individuals to stop using so much energy, such as turning off lights and electrical appliances at the wall and using solar energy.

Mr Dean Turner said civilisations that cut down their trees would collapse and experience political turmoil.

He said Australia has cut down a quarter of its forests whereas Japan decided 150 years ago that it would maintain three-quarters of its forests and it has.

He said that at The Crossing young people were educated to look after the land, save water, save the forests and their biodiversity.

Dr Matthew Nott said it was necessary to find solutions as soon as possible to overcome the problems of oil depletion, climate change and drought.

"In the Bega Valley Shire we are completely dependent on road transport for everything so when the oil runs out we shall be in a desperate situation unless we change our ways.

"Climate change is happening here and now and you can see its effects," he said.

"The solutions should come from individuals, local, state and federal governments.

"On the individual level we could buy hybrid cars, fluorescent lights, switch appliances off at the main, drive slower, ride a bike to work or school, put in a solar hot water system, plant trees and fly less.

´On a community level we must lobby politicians to get behind clean renewable energy such as wind farms and solar banks and encourage eco-tourism."

Dr Nott said the Bega Valley Shire Council was backing his target of 50/50 by 2020 (50 per cent reduction in energy use and a 50 per cent increase in energy).

Many of the speakers at the forum said Australia should be a world leader in promoting renewable energy.