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Australia : Is Australia doing enough to mitigate climate change?
Biology Issues Investigation – Is Australia doing enough to mitigate climate change?
Rediet Ellis
Introduction:
Carbon is the building block for all life on Earth; therefore it comes as no surprise that it is stored in all parts of the Earth whether it be in the oceans, soil, atmosphere, plants and even within our own bodies. The storage and the exchange of carbon is called the carbon cycle. In the carbon cycle plants have to take in sunlight and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. The process of photosynthesis takes light energy and converts it into chemical energy so that plants can grow. Plants are eaten by small animals, which are then eaten by bigger animals forming a food chain. The carbon dioxide that was originally in the plants is passed through all the living organisms that ate it. Living organisms such as plants and especially animals have to respire. Respiration is the process in which oxygen (O2) is exchanged for carbon dioxide (CO2) this is then released back into the atmosphere. Living organisms die and decompose at some point in time, which means the carbon from their body gets transferred and stored in the ground which eventually become what we refer to as fossil fuels. Large amounts of carbon are also stored in the ocean as there are microorganisms called phytoplankton that capture some of the carbon from the atmosphere to consume it. Phytoplankton are eaten by larger predators and the carbon is transferred from one organism to another. When the phytoplankton and other organisms die they sink to the bottom of the ocean. The ocean is the largest reservoir of carbon on the planet and the cooler it is the more carbon it can hold.
With the human population increasing every year and the ever growing need to power our fast paced world there is an increasing demand for our natural resources and an immense pressure on the environment. Coal and oil are the primary fuels mined and burnt in order to meet our technological needs, and a resource that will eventually be exhausted, as they aren’t renewable. Burning fossil fuels releases tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, which in consequence blankets the Earth, heating it up. If global warming keeps occurring the ocean will heat up and the hotter the ocean becomes the less carbon it can hold therefore capturing less carbon into the atmosphere and heating the planet more. A hotter planet with ice caps that will melt not only increase sea level but will also decrease reflection of heat back into space which cools down the Earth. Additionally the slash and burn of trees doesn’t only emit carbon emissions into the air but also less trees means less absorption of CO2 through photosynthesis. The rate at which the globe is warming is occurring is so drastic that it is leading species into extinction rather than evolution. Humans have tipped the balance of the carbon cycle almost to the point of no return and since everything is so tightly interlinked the condition of the whole planet has already and will continue to have a downfall unless actions are to be taken now.
Like many other countries Australia has to start making changes in the way of energy efficiency and sustainable living. The first step of change is awareness; people need to know what is happening to the planet and they need to care before any act can be taken to prevent climate change. Australia has put some policies into place to prevent the climate change, but we could be doing more.
What is Australia doing?
Australia has implemented some policies into improving climate change, one of these policies being the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) of 2011. This initiative is to encourage primary producers such as farmers to store carbon in their land. This could be by leaving land uncleared or planting more trees, this will result in receiving carbon credits from the government for certain amount of carbon they don’t allow to go into the atmosphere. These carbon credits in return can be sold off to carbon emitting businesses to offset a certain amount of the emission released by their factories. This initiative also gives incentive to future landowners to restore the environment.
The Clean Energy Act was instigated in Australia in 2011. This act had a two-section action plan in which one section the government would fund for a Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme, which would involve subsidising people’s minor household renewable energy technologies, such solar panels with solar hot water systems to make renewable energy a more competitive and viable alternative. The second section is called the Large-Scale Renewable Energy Target, which aims to provide most of the country’s electricity objective by 2020 with renewable energy.
In 2012 Australia initiated the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standard Act in which the government put regulations on the maximum amount of power an appliance can use when being made, sold or used in Australia. This framework demands that all electrical equipment have an energy efficiency rating scale also. Depending on how energy efficient products are determines the penalties for the impact on the environment.
What else could Australia be doing?
The Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme restricts the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air by major carbon emitting companies. Companies are given permits for the amount of tons of pollution released and the amount of permits given varies depending on the average amount carbon a specific company releases. If the company wants to go over their restricted amount of carbon emission they have to buy permits from a company that will be below their permit quota therefore compensating for their additional carbon emissions. This system would reward companies that are more environmentally conscious and penalise others that aren’t.
As livestock such as cows are one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions and the Australian community has a massive farming industry the Australian government should be implementing a way of limiting the amount of meat produced or eaten. This could potentially be a viable course of action as it will not only help decrease the effects of climate change but it would also be a big gamer changer in the way of health. Livestock not only put large amounts of methane in the air which contributes to climate change but the clearing of land for livestock to live reduces the amount of carbon stowed in plants through the process of photosynthesis. Additionally the slash and the burn of the native environment involved in clearing also release carbon emissions into the air. Therefore capping or reducing the amount of meat eaten nation wide would have drastic improvements on the health of the Earth.
- Australia should implement into the education curriculum a mandatory unit on climate change and the vitality of sustainable living from the youngest years at school so that being environmentally conscious is second nature once students grow into adults and global warming and carbon emissions will become a priority for them in the future. Increasing awareness by sewing a seed early could potentially have huge impacts on the environment.
Conclusion:
In conclusion I think although Australia is making a small effort in the way of climate change with the Carbon Farming Initiative Act, Clean Energy Act and the Greenhouse and Energy Standard Act there is a lot more that could be done. The policies that have been made have haven’t really been policed or hugely enforced. Climate change is a huge issue that means it should be a priority and it involves making numerous significant changes and committing to them if there is to be a sustainable world for future generations. Australia being a first world country is one of the privileged few that have an economic advantage so we should be leading the way. Not just by taking other actions with the Carbon Emission Trading Cap or eating less meat nation wide, Australia should being looking towards other countries like Brazil who has invested in the biofuel industry or Germany who have frequent and effective public transport, which gives people less reason to by a car and emit more carbon into the atmosphere. I currently still believe strongly in climate change awareness especially awareness in youth, that is going to be the biggest weapon in terms of overcoming climate change.
