Re-framing the issue

It's interesting that two people can look at the same event and see it in totally different ways. For two footie fans watching the same game but following different teams, the same series of events can be either an occasion for happiness or despair.

Similarly with reducing carbon emissions. On the one hand, we could view the changes to our lifestyle that we will have to make to reduce our carbon emissions as being about sacrifice, giving things up, regression or inconvenience. And, when you put it like that, it's hardly surprising that people are reluctant to embrace a carbon-light lifestyle!

If you tell people that they will have to give up the plasma TVs that they enjoy watching, that they can't take the overseas holidays that they spend all year hanging out for, or that they have to give up the 4WD that is their pride and joy, they're just going to go "Nuh".

But if you tell people that they have the opportunity to have less stress, work less, be more healthy, reconnect with their communities and support local jobs, living a carbon-light lifestyle becomes a whole different proposition!

Cycling or walking to work, for example, means less time spent in traffic jams, less money spent on running a car, the possibility of exercising by walking to work and being to spend more time with your family. This might mean moving house or changing jobs, but look at the benefits that are available.

So it's worth remembering that focusing on the positives isn't about blind optimism - it's about seeing what's already there if we only choose to look at it in a certain way!

Offsetting - in a nutshell

Offsetting carbon emissions is a topic that gets a lot of attention, so I thought I would provide a quick overview of what offsetting is about and what some of the issues are.

The idea behind offsetting is that if you do something that results in CO2 being put into the atmosphere (taking a flight, for example), you can pay a company to take some action that results in an equal amount of carbon dioxide being either not emitted or being taken out of the atmosphere. In theory, the company's action neutralises your emissions and your flight is carbon neutral.

To give an example, if you take a flight is responsible for emitting one ton of CO2, you could pay a company to plant trees that will take one ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere. Or, the company could invest your money in a source of renewable energy that will be used instead of an energy source that will emit CO2 - hydroelectric instead of coal-fired, for example.

There are a few issues to be aware of with offsetting:

• Your action is still responsible for emitting CO2 - there is a view that it is better to prevent the CO2 from getting into the atmosphere in the first place (by not taking the action) than to try to "get rid" of it later. Prevention could be seen to be better than cure.
• There is no guarantee that paying money to a company will lead to a reduction in CO2. The CO2 is not automatically erased from the atmosphere. Whether there is a reduction in CO2 depends on how effectively the company uses your money.
• Trees grow slowly, require constant management and can release their CO2 if they die or are burnt. In can take up to 30 years for a tree to grow large enough to remove one ton of CO2 from the atmosphere. While this is happening, the ton of CO2 that you emitted is contributing to global warming.
• Some offsetting companies invest your money in projects that develop renewable energy. You would need to be sure that the project will be replacing an existing, greenhouse gas emitting facility. Sometimes, money is invested in renewable energy sources that have to be built anyway - because of government requirements for example.

On the plus side for offsetting, if the emissions are going to happen anyway then investing in a reliable, effective offsetting project is better than doing nothing. The more money that is invested in new renewable energy projects the sooner renewable energy will become cheaper and more widely available.

My own view is that it is better to do what you can to avoid causing the emissions in the first place. If you absolutely can't avoid causing the emissions, then offset them with a reliable offsetting company. Climate Friendly is one of the better Australian offsetting companies.

Finally, check out the Cheat Neutral video for a humorous explanation of why offsetting is often seen as a second-best option.

First meeting for 2009

Monday night was the first North Brisbane CRAG meeting for 2009. It was fantastic to have 9 people there! Everyone had great ideas, and it was exciting to take the first concrete steps twards setting up the framework for reducing our emissions.

In a nutshell, we agreed that members will aim to reduce the carbon emissions by 20% from 2008 levels. Members who don't achieve their target will have the choice of donating time to an environmental charity or making a financial payment (which will go towards emissions reduction measures for an as yet undecided recipient). We will decide the level of the donation/payment next month.

We also had great discussions about the new ClimateSmart program, offsetting, useful books and solar hot water rebates.

The next meeting will be on a date to be advised in March - hopefully see you all then!

2009 - A big year

2009 is shaping up to be an exciting, and in fact critical, year for climate change! On the exciting front, Earth Hour is set to be a huge event this year - up to 1 billion people around the world will be participating in the single biggest environmental action on the planet! Register your participation NOW at www.earthhour.org.

By way of declaring a vested interest, I am organising Earth Hour in Queensland!

Also, the groundswell of interest in and awareness of climate change and what it will take to prevent it reaching dangerous levels is growing. New events, forums and lectures about reducing carbon emissions seem to be happening every day. It's inspiring to see so many people getting involved and taking action!

On the critical front, the conference in Copenhagen at the end of the year will set the targets for global action to reduce CO2 emissions post-Kyoto. It is so important that world leaders realise that they have a mandate from their citizens to take strong, decisive and courageous action. And the only way that they will get that mandate is if we give it to them!

For the CRAG, I'm looking forward to continuing to develop how we want the group to work and what goals we want to set this year. The first meeting for the year is on 9 February at 2 Broadway Street, Red Hill, 7pm - 8.30pm. Hope to see you there!