Australia : To what extent does awareness contribute towards the campaign against climate change in Australia?

Nov 23, 2015 by Simone Burzacott-Gorman

To what extent does awareness contribute towards the campaign against climate change in Australia?

Virginia Su

Introduction:

At the present, climate change has become one of the biggest issues the world has to deal with today. Carbon emissions within Australia are constantly increasing and it was found that although we are not the biggest producers in the world, we are the largest emitter per capita (Tran, 2015). One of the actions being taken towards improving this is to increase public awareness of the issue and the consequences in Australia. By first making more aware of what is happening to the planet, it is believed that support towards the campaign against climate change could be boosted. However, how much does awareness actually contribute towards the fight, if at all?

Biological Significance:E.5: 

The carbon cycle is the process in which carbon, which makes up all living and non-living things, is stored and exchanged. In the atmosphere, carbon is attached to oxygen gas and exists in the form of carbon dioxide. As plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight in the process of photosynthesis to produce oxygen and food, the carbon then becomes apart of the plant. As the food chain begins with plant-life, animals consume it and hence carbon is exchanged. Other animals higher up in the food chain then consume those animals, thus carbon is constantly moving. When an animal dies, their body decomposes and soon becomes buried and turns into fossil fuels over millions of year. Humans use these fossil fuels in their everyday life and the burning of this form of carbon produces large amounts of carbon dioxide to enter the atmosphere. However, carbon is not only stored in the atmosphere, but also in the ocean,hence receiving it’s name as the “carbon sink”. At this moment in time, far more carbon dioxide has been emitted into the atmosphere than has been photosynthesised. Thus, this has caused the phenomenon that is known today as climate change.

E.3 & E.10: Climate change has caused a series of extreme weather events including droughts,floods, heat waves, bushfires, etc., many of these having been experienced within Australia. AsAustralian communities have been personally affected by these events, their attitude and opinion towards climate change may have been swayed to support the campaign against it. By first raising awareness in how human practices have contributed towards climate change and thus contributed towards the happening of the extreme weather events, progress could be made towards making major changes within communities.

Points of view – Positive: Many currently believe that if Australia were more aware of the effects climate change has on the environment and the planet, more support could be generated towards combating climate change. Polls have revealed that a consistent two-thirds of Australians accept that climate change is real, and diminishing confusion and a growing understanding that climate impacts are occurring now, no longer just in the future (Stefanove, 2013). Within the two thirds who believe climate change is occurring, 87% of them believes that humans bear at least some responsibility for it, 32% believe humans are the main cause (Stefanove, 2013).As the majority of the public have at least accepted that climate change is occurring, awareness could be further improved by making the general public understand the contributions humans have made towards the progression of climate change and the negative consequences if no action is taken. By making the public understand the consequences of climate change, attitudes towards it could be changed and they are therefore more likely to change individual behaviour, whether it be choosing to bicycle to work or as simple as turning of power points (Garnaut, 2015). Little actions like these on a large scale contribute immensely towards the campaign against climate change.  While it is important for the whole of Australia to be aware of climate change, the Youth have some of the most powerful voices as they will one day lead nations and therefore the more aware and supportive they are, the more momentum and effective the campaign against climate change will become. It was found that the Youth want to see Australia lead the campaign against climate change, with 66% of youth expressing this view,compared to 57 percent of 35 to 54 year olds and 51 per cent of older people (Stefanove, 2013). They are also more optimistic about Australia’s ability to influence other countries to tackle climate change. 64%of youth hold this view, compared to 56 per cent of those 35 and older (Stefanove, 2013).Younger people are also much more likely to believe that their daily actions contribute to climate change (Garnaut, 2015). A majority (54%) hold this view, compared to 46 per cent of35 to 54 year olds and only 40 per cent of older Australians (Stefanove, 2013). Therefore, if theYouth are supportive of the actions being taken towards combating climate change, they are much more likely to also support it when they become the leaders within the world, therefore awareness among Youth may be one of the most effective strategies in combating climate change.Although unfortunate, severe environmental issues due to climate change have made many more aware and supportive towards the campaign against climate change. It was found that attitudes towards climate change peaked during 2007 when the Millennium Drought impacted water supplies in capital cities in Australia and when bush fires threatened the regions(Stefan ove, 2013). In focus groups across the nation, Australians indicated that events with severe consequences, like the Millennium Drought, would and have been a significant trigger for immediate action against climate change (Stefanove, 2013). Hence, if awareness about the environmental impacts of climate change were raised among Australians, much more support could be rallied to combat the development of climate change.

Points of view – Negative: On a different note, although aware of climate change, many have concluded that climate change is not the biggest problem in the world. In Australia, climate change was identified as the third most important problem after water shortage and using up of natural resources(Papworth, 2015). According to research, the time between greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the environment means that, until at least 2045, poverty will be a much more important health factor than climate change (Papworth, 2015). By deeming other issues as more important than climate change, the public then receives the impression that climate change is over exaggerated within the media and therefore support of it declines.Surveys reveal that people are becoming less worried, and in some cases more sceptical about climate change, even while awareness of climate change is increasing (Garnaut, 2015). A survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, reveals that in 2007–08, 73% of Australians stated that they were concerned about climate change, but by 2011–12 this had fallen to 57% (Garnaut, 2015). This drop in support is the result of the public believing that climate change is just a natural fluctuation in the Earth’s atmosphere, with over 40% believing this (Tran, 2015).This belief is fuelled by the idea that there have been huge climate changes in the past, notably during the ice age when massive ice sheets thickened and expanded over the Arctic region, theAntarctic and Greenland. Claims have also been made that scientists are creating panic only in order to gain funding (Tran, 2015). Although, extreme weather events raise awareness, many in Australia have seen its weather, for example, the Queensland’s floods, bushfires in Victoria and Tasmania and even the broken heat records of Summer 2013, as normal, with a focus group participant stating “We live in the land of floods and fires, it’s more normal for us.”(Stefanove, 2013)Many are also deeming the fight against climate change to be too expensive to sustain. This was demonstrated through the abolishment of The Climate Commission, an independent body established in 2011 by the Federal Government of Australia to communicate “reliable and authoritative information” about climate change in Australia (Wikipedia, 2015). This organisation, made up of Australia’s best scientists, ecologists and energy experts, was abolished by the Abbott Government in 2013 on the basis that their $1.5 million annual operating costs were too expensive (Climate Council, 2015). The Carbon Tax, established by the Gillard government in 2012, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, was also a huge issue of controversy as in consequence of taxing Australia’s major companies for carbon emissions, the cost of their product rose and it was the public that suffered. As the public believes economic consequences vastly outweighs the environmental benefits, they are much more likely to oppose action being taken towards climate change, even if they are aware of the consequences of climate change, than to support it.

Conclusion:By analysing both sides of the argument, I believe that awareness does not contribute as much as we had hoped in regards to the campaign against climate change. The Youth are aware and support climate change and believe that humans are the main cause of it, however, the older generations are sceptical. As at this point in time, the majority of the Youth are unable to contribute towards deciding Australia’s decision towards climate change by voting in theFederal election, the opinions of the older generations are upheld and reflected in the actions being taken against climate change. Hence, the campaign against climate change may not progress further until the Youth are able to contribute towards the decisions being made inAustralia.

Bibliography:

5.Papworth, Andrew. 'No, Climate Change Is Not The Biggest Risk To Global Health'. TheConversation. N.p., 2015. Web. 7 Nov. 20156.Readfearn, Graham. 'Australian Taxpayers Funding Climate Contrarian's Methods With $4MBjørn Lomborg Centre | Graham Readfearn'. the Guardian. N.p., 2015. Web. 7 Nov. 20157.Stefanove, Kristina. Australian Attitudes On Climate Change. 1st ed. The Climate Institute, 2013.Print8.The Conversation,. 'Climate Of Doubt: What Australians Think About Climate Change'. N.p.,2013. Web. 7 Nov. 20159.Tran, Clara. 'Climate Change Sceptics Versus The Scientists'. ABC News. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 Nov.201510.Wikipedia,. 'Climate Commission'. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

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