Blue Mountains Forum on Climate Change 2007

Blue Mountains City Council hosted a climate change forum on Saturday 30 June 2007 at Mid-Mountains Community Centre, New Street, Lawson.

With an exciting range of guest speakers and exhibitors, the forum inspired and recognised local action by residents, schools, community groups, Council, agencies and other organisations, that address Climate Change.

Attendees heard about local initiatives already underway and what other local communities are doing. There also was an opportunity for questions and discussion.

Presenters included:

• The Hon. Phil Koperberg, Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water and Member for Blue Mountains
• Associate Professor Micheal Box, University of NSW
• Lis Bastian, local climate change campaigner
• Dr Matthew Knott, climate change campaigner in the Bega area
• Rosemary Dillon, Manager Corporate Planning Blue Mountains City Council
• Frank Ryan, Sustainability Street
• Ecopella Choir
• Anne Ridgway performance

Summary of Panel Discussion

Facilitated by Peter Adams, Group Manager Community and Corporate Group, Blue Mountains City Council

Panel Members included:

• Associate Professor Michael Box, University of NSW
• Lis Bastian, local climate change campaigner
• Dr Matthew Knott, climate change campaigner in the Bega area
• Rosemary Dillon, Manager Corporate Planning Blue Mountains City Council
• Frank Ryan, Sustainability Street
• Andrew Wales, Omega Environmental

Floor opened for questions to the panel by Peter Adams.

Question 1:

In relation to the Energy and Water Strategy in which a 10% reduction is the target... Councillors also voted to increase the greenhouse gas emissions to allow people to burn off waste (not hazard reduction) without a case by case approval. A blanket approval - self regulation has been given. Council officers in attendance pointed out that this would result in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and increase in illegal land clearing. It appears that there is an improved mechanism for decision making with triple bottom line guidelines yet Councillors did not adhere to these decision making tools. We have targets and decision making tools in place ... but how do we keep the Councillors on the right track?

Peter Adams responded: The Council business paper is available in which Council made this decision some years ago for large properties. It is a short term decision until it is reviewed. All Councillors bring forward issues from various segments of the Community.

Question 2:

What plans does Blue Mountains City Council have for extending recycling programs and public education (like what can't go into landfill)?

Rebecca Tempest responded:There are plans in place to upgrade the recycling service, currently working on the wheelie bin. In terms of electronic waste, a report went to Council. The State Government and various Non Government Organisations have been discussing a program in which the responsibility for a mandatory take-back by industry, so industry would pay. Council resolved at this point not to pass the cost of the program onto the community. We do household chemical collection campaigns, an annual booklet, website promotion, brochure, free community courses like Earthworks. Upgrades in these areas are in progress.

Peter Adams added: This field of recycling is progressing quickly and one of the benefits of our community being less technological is that we have one of the purest waste streams. We get more money for our pure stream than anyone. We also have the highest recycling rate in the State; we contribute 60% less in landfill than previously.

Question 3:

Matthew, what arguments did you use to your Councillors to encourage them to step up and set such aggressive targets? ... How did you do it?

Matthew Nott responded: Some Councillors made it very easy. Bega adopted a 50/50 rate. The science is very compelling and obvious, the solutions and the way forward are also very obvious. Basically, sell them the facts ... here's the issue, it's critical and urgent and it demands individual and community and political action. It sells itself. We need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels one way or another, we all experience the same impacts so we truly are all in it together, makes the "sense of community" easier when we have the benefit of geography. Just be passionate and hope that it's infectious.

Question 4:

I feel that the next election is critical for Australia... the emphasis is will we have a future? The liberal government has established the greatest nuclear dump in Northern Australia. They plan to build 25 nuclear power plants on the East Coast... My point is can we use local to go global? If the nuclear program is going ahead then we will also have a nuclear fall-out. The Liberal government are locked into a nuclear program. How can we get across to the Electorate that it's the most important election? Can the Council do anything? We'll have trucks taking nuclear waste through the Mountains. The Federal government overrules the State government. Will the Council have the guts to alert the residents about what danger we are facing here? All our local actions will be overwhelmed.

Peter Adams: I will put the question to the Panel

Frank Ryan responded: We are at a point in history where we are taking part in a large shift in thinking, one Council will do more and others will do less. The Federal government is the last of 'yesterday thinkers' and the political lag behind the community...

Rosemary Dillon added: At different times, our elected body has taken a stance, they have voted and addressed an issue and the most fundamental action has taken place. We are all led by our principles and what we are driving is to each look at what we can control. We are doing our best to walk the talk. We all can look at what we can influence and what we can control, what authority we have, including Council. We can look at the decision making within Council.

Matthew Nott said: A Nuclear free shire doesn't mean a scrap. We need to demonstrate that we can do without nuclear power... drumming over the top of politicians.

Lis Bastian: In the United States, Councils got together to stand up against the Federal Government. In Australia, we have this nervous politeness. Each individual has to find courage because everything is at stake! We can't operate in the same way. People are nervous and scared.

Frank Ryan added: On the Northern Territory state govt website there is a list of 10 arguments against nuclear. It's a good reference.

Question 5:

In reflecting on Phil Kopenberg's address he discussed how he had to make the difficult decision regarding turning off the water supply to farmers in the Murray - Darling. He talked about the difficult position between people's jobs and sustainable action (example of supplying water to mine that employs loads of people). Lis Bastion refers to how we have to make the hard decisions... I'm just wondering if these decisions have been put in the too-hard box or do we have to take a hard position?

Lis Bastian responded: I was a Cultural Development Officer with Orange Council for 14 years. There was a goldmine there with a lot of money that consumed a lot of water ... yet the Mine could have supported water collection. I don't know if you know but in rural NSW no-one gets tank rebates. The Council should have brokered good deals for the people, not for the mine.

Matthew Nott said: People can be retrained. Australia is the biggest exporter of coal and in Frank Sartor's opinion "if we don't sell it, someone else will". Our coal industry is worth $24b / year. The industry supports 700 people (?). In the Bega Valley there was a proposal for a wind turbine factory that would initially support 200 people, within 5-10 years it was expected to support 700 people. But that factory won't go ahead because there is no future for renewable energy in Australia. We should be repositioning jobs from the coal industry into renewable energy.

Rosemary Dillon said: When we were planning for the State of City, we did national and international scans. The trends didn't look good. It's important that we get good information about the state of our city. People need this information to act. A scan of the world doesn't look good when we look at the trends. I believe that local communities will make the difference; it will be a bottom-up revolution.

Frank Ryan: No ecology = no economy. Nicholas Stern reports that 1% of the GDP will forestall the economy with an impact akin to both world wars and depression.

Lis Bastian said: Everything needs to change. Council workers are our eco-warriors; we need you to be braver. Our lives are depending on you.

Question / Comment 6:

This is really just a comment, about the coal industry, people can be retrained. Communities can be based on wind and solar energy. Just imagine if all community's can do it. But we can't afford it! We are in the middle of a mining boom.

Peter Adams said: wind or renewable energy could also be an option for businesses.

Question / Comment 7:

Thanks to Council for doing this and the panel. It's a great day, can we do more of these? Could we do some workshops/ work fests ... not just talk fests. Let's start things up and join in. Would the panel join in? Let's try and set-up a facility /network of emails, phone numbers to work on issues. Let's turn the Talkfest into a Work fest. Can Council do this?

Matthew Nott: I would like to do a human signs with the schools.

Frank Ryan: All the answers are out there.

Rosemary Dillon: You'll notice some paper on your chairs - it's a questionnaire. We'd like to start an e-community around sustainability. The Sustainable Blue Mountains website will highlight achievement and the development of trend data which will be provided as a free service to the Community. The network is a fabulous idea that Council can facilitate and promote.

Lis Bastion: and refer to my blogg...

Question / Comment 8:

I'm on the management committee for the Blue Mountains Climate Change Group, we also have sub-committees in Blackheath, Katoomba / Leura and Springwood. There are also two get-up groups in Blackheath and others in Lawson, Blaxland, Katoomba and Wentworth Falls. We need to liaise between groups and promote each other's activities.

Question 9: I'd like to direct the question to Andrew ... solar panels were previewed on ABC;s Catalyst program and they reported a cheaper more efficient new generation of solar panels. Do you know anything about this?

Andrew Wales: No

Matthew Nott: I can tell you that currently I spent $8,000 on solar panels on my house (after the rebate) and my last two energy bills have been in credit. The ones previewed on Catalyst are not commercially available yet.

Comment 10:

Blaxland community church has fundraised $10, 000 for solar panels.

Summary of Plenary Discussion

Facilitated by Gary Werskey Question put to the floor by Gary Werskey What is your first priority of action - that would make a measurable contribution? Responses from the floor:

• To change our elected State/Federal members. They are of the opinion that there's a need for balance between coal and nuclear ... as our elected representatives ... they are not representing us at the moment.
• There's a lot being done. Council needs to support and empower those actions.
• All to change electricity to renewable sources
• Council needs more ambitious targets for greenhouse gas emissions
• Some education for self responsibility on consumption. We're each responsible for what we consume in our body and in our house and we're responsible for our waste.
• Transport and our addiction to oil. We need decent public transport, an alternative transport system. We have a Sustainable Transport Alliance Group which represent a number of groups including bicycle groups ... it's about a different way of getting around.
• A way to educate and sustain the one's lagging behind. Someone to suggest a way/ campaign to penetrate those people who don't get it.
• Reinforce that although we act local we need to step up to the global. Global issues will impact us on a local scale so we need to also act on the global too ... we have to reach as many as possible.
• Local and global. Council emphasis is to measure our progress as ever growing development. We should move more towards living within our means .. cut back on consumption and development.
• Public transport. Centennial Coal have plans to set-up their annual export of coal from 200 K tonnes to 500 K tones. We need public transport, bicycle paths and a shift of freight from road to rail. We need this individually and as a community.
• A safe way of cycling, not a line on a highway ... and local protection for biodiversity.
• Have solar panels and energy efficiency infrastructure mandatory. It's compelling to have these requirements included in building applications.
• Biofuel bus - Council to organise to collect participants.
• Ban on bore water.
• Engage younger people. As I look around me I notice that we are missing a generation here. We can engage the school kids but by the time they get to the age where they can make a difference its too late so we need to find a way to engage the generation in between. His Holiness the Dalai Lama says that governments are missing a big global trend ... it doesn't make sense to declare war on the global community... what's happening is that the people are leading the politicians. Politicians need to represent us, not follow us. People have declared peace, so should governments.
• You can't change what you can't measure ... you need to know how much carbon you are using before you can change. Establish our own eco-footprint or provide a way for people to do so. Businesses need to be able to determine how much carbon they are using / emitting and how to reduce it. Council needs to be active in encouraging people to determine their own carbon footprint. Then you'll start getting change.

This item was posted in August 2007.