Protecting that which unites us all (The Punch)
Each of us has childhood memories of exploring and enjoying the unique Australian environment. From the beach to the backyard, surely it is the great outdoors that unites us all.
It may have been beach fishing on a windswept, majestic Moreton Island as a teen, as I experienced, or something as simple as family time spent in the backyard of the ramshackle beach house that so many of us seemed to have. Either way, all Australians have an abiding love of these special youthful memories of the natural world.
We must fight to preserve these experiences. Not so much for ourselves, but for the youngest among us and those yet to be born, who are still to have their special moments outdoors in Australia.
As the threat of climate change grows greater and more imminent, we need to remember what it is we are acting to protect for future generations.
Just as we have had the privilege of barbeques with family in the backyard and clean rivers and beaches to play on as children, so should our kids and their kids be able to explore and enjoy Australia’s amazing natural environment with their friends and families.
In the interests of preserving those moments, today Australia joins many other developed economies by introducing a price on pollution. Confronted with the threat of climate change, Australia needed to act. We did. And we can be proud that we did.
We now have the beginnings of a market-based system, one that makes big polluters pay for their pollution, while smart, innovative companies have an incentive to develop new, clean technology that will pave the way to Australia becoming a vibrant 21st century economy.
By encouraging these biggest polluters to clean up their act, we are laying the foundation for the next industrial revolution – a clean energy boom the likes of which no one alive has ever seen.
If Australia becomes a leader in clean, renewable energy, it will create tens of thousands of new jobs across a range of sectors.
As the threat of climate change grows greater and more imminent, we need to remember what it is we are acting to protect for future generations.
At the same time, it will lead to cheaper, cleaner electricity and a healthier Australia, removing pollution from the air we breathe and the water we drink.
Most importantly, it will keep our wonderful natural inheritance safe from the ravages of dangerous climate change for our children’s children to enjoy.
We would like to encourage people to keep their eyes on that prize, not be distracted by the concerted, fierce campaign of misinformation and fear we are witnessing at the moment in Australia.
Look closely and you’ll see that the fear mongering about carbon-driven price rises and job losses comes entirely from those with a political or commercial vested interest in keeping Australia stuck with a 20th century, pollution-dependent economy.
The fear campaign is designed expressly to scare us as a nation into inaction; the thing we can least afford if we are serious about preserving those special outdoor experiences for our children and grandchildren.
Protecting the status quo is easy. Doing nothing usually is. Courage is needed to continue the move away from a pollution-dependent economy, towards a cleaner, innovative future.
Our national character has a deep egalitarian tradition – this is the land of the fair go. What is less fair than denying future Australians the wonders that we have had the privilege of experiencing?
Today, we embark on a great challenge – in the face of powerful vested interests we are starting the move towards a cleaner, fairer future for our children.
Will we meet that challenge? Will we create a future in which young Australians can still enjoy the natural environment and find secure employment in a clean, strong economy? This is the goal of action on climate change.
When you see your kids or grandkids playing on the beach or camping in the bush, think about the rights of their kids to enjoy the same.
This article first appeared in The Punch.
Comments (1)
I know you're trying to be conscientious and do what you think is right, but please, PLEASE look into climate change before you go any further. It's a proven fraud. Haven't you heard about Climate Gate? It's all about money, money, money. IPCC members have admitted that they wanted to create hysteria at the outset in order to get money. Special interest groups lobby, do favors, get favors that's all this is about. Money makes the world go round. For crying out loud, you can find out that the science in "An Inconvenient Truth" was faulty just be Googling the facts. Al Gore, who started the hysteria with his film, is a lying hypocrite. There are hundreds of scientists in the U.S. alone trying to speak out about this but they're being blackballed by their colleges (again money). Do you know these scientists held a convention in NYC to discuss how this hysteria is affecting their field and careers? I doubt it. Most people didn't because the media conveniently overlooks anything that doesn't fit their agenda.Warming and cooling has been happening cyclically since weather conditions have been recorded. There is absolutely no crisis happening here. If you want to motivate people in positive way, start researching this economic meltdown and what is happening to our nation. Now THAT is a crisis. You can start with a book called "The 5000 Year Leap." Easy to read and certainly not what you learn in public schools. This is what people need to wake up to and get involved in.
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