5 June 2007
Hypothetically speaking, what will Australia be like in 2025?
Rate rebates are offered for homes with vegetable gardens, fossil fuels are no longer our main source of energy generation and mortgages are only available for environmentally-friendly homes. These and other concepts were discussed as possible realities for our future at a hypothetical on climate change held last week in Pakenham.
The hypothetical, Western Port — Feeling the Heat, moderated by environmentalist and television presenter Rob Gell, brought together economists, bankers, politicians, scientists and environmentalists to discuss how climate change could change Australia, and Western Port Bay in particular.
The event was jointly organised by the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and the MPWP Biosphere Reserve Foundation, which Rob Gell has chaired since 2005.
ANZ Bank senior manager Lloyd Fleming discussed the losses the bank suffered on mortgages on former prime Melbourne real estate.
"All those waterfront houses on Port Philip Bay are under water and we lost a lot of money on them and up on the Gold Coast," Mr Fleming said. "We now only give loans on highly energy- and water-efficient homes. And Parliament House's roof in Canberra has now become a market garden."
Executive Director of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership, Larissa Brown, who claimed to be Australia's youngest female Prime Minister in 2025, discussed the need for "closed-loop manufacturing".
"In 2025 Australia has led the world on closed-loop manufacturing, where true consideration is given to a product and what happens to it at the end of its life," Ms Brown said. "We no longer throw things away, we find other ways to use them."
Economist Francis Grey likened the climate change discussion of 2007 to the world not heeding the warnings for World War II.
"It's like Hitler has just invaded Czechoslovakia and no one will worry about anything until he gets to Poland," Mr Grey said. "What will it take for us to wake up? A small controlled disaster? I think New Orleans was that."
However, Professor John Swan argued against many of the doomsday predictions.
"We have to stop talking about carbon dioxide as a pollutant — it's not, it's a vital plant nutrient," Prof Swan said. "I'm proud to be recalcitrant on this.
"In Holland they're pumping carbon dioxide into their greenhouses to wonderful effect. And the Dutch have dealt with rising sea levels for hundreds of years — they just build higher walls."
After close to two hours of debate, the panellists were asked to summarise their thoughts
"The answers are out there — it's not so hard to solve climate change," Ms Brown said. "Don't blame government, industry, your neighbour for not doing something. It's up to us all. We need to rethink our lives, not look at places to lay blame."
Organiser Jack Krohn, of DSE's Port Phillip Region, said he was thrilled with how the hypothetical concept was received.
"It was a great day and everyone involved was very supportive," he said. "The hypothetical as a partnership project between DSE and the Biosphere Reserve Foundation demonstrates how working together innovatively gives us better results than we might achieve alone."
A comprehensive proceedings document will be available soon.