Krishna Rajaratnam,
19
Walang Avenue,
Figtree, NSW, 2525
18th
April,
2007.
The
Editor,
Illawarra Mercury.
Dear
Sir/Madam,
Global
Warming- Suggestions for a Mitigating
Plan
I
would like to
express my views on mitigating measures in regard
to Global Warming,
considering that this is Sustainability
Week and having seen the film An
Inconvenient Truth, which
I consider to be a fairly accurate presentation of
facts to
the best of prevailing knowledge.
The two main
political
parties, while acknowledging there may be a problem with
global warming, cannot
agree on policies to stem this continuing and
long term problem so long as we
continue increased use of fossil fuels
for energy in transportation, industry,
commerce and homes. Mr Kevin Rudd
unilaterally wants to reduce fossil fuel usage
by 60% before 2050 whereas
Mr Howard has no publicly aired target. Mr Howard
states that he wants to
protect the jobs of Australians. He is prepared to act
only when there
are internationally accepted levels applying to all nations
including
industrially emerging nations of China and India.
Mr
Howard, we
urgently need policies and action now. Mr Rudd, I admire your lofty
ideals, but you need to convince your
local government colleagues
to also take an enlightened view and start implementing
your
policies now. I
sight a
case as example. Recently, Wollongong ALP councillors as
a block voted against
a rescission motion- without deigning to
give a reason- that would result in
increased traffic congestion
at Thirroul entailing additional pollution.
I suggest a
possible
immediate action plan without waiting for China and India to
come on board and
more importantly avoiding the sacrificing of jobs
in the resource and
associated industries while preferably creating
additional jobs and knowledge
in the emerging renewable energy industry
(with long term export potential to
less developed nations) without an
unreasonable impost on our community at
large. However, I believe each
one individually has to make our own
contribution by being conscious
and frugal in the way we consume energy.
1) All fossil fuel use to be
frozen immediately at
present levels.
2) A national renewable energy
fund to be
created for research, development, promotion
and use of renewable energy of all
forms with potential for
economic viability.
3) Industry, Transportation, Commerce
to
contribute 1% of the cost of their fossil fuel energy use to the
renewable
energy fund
4) Any expansion of fossil fuel use can
only be
committed if the cost of an equivalent amount of renewable energy
is invested
in the renewable energy fund.
5) Consumers are encouraged to
install energy
saving devices (such as solar hot water system)
and renewable generators (such
as solar voltaic panels) with a
subsidy of 10 to 20 %. This subsidy to come
from the renewable
energy fund.
6) The effectiveness of this plan
should be
continuously monitored and reviewed every 12 months. If
necessary more drastic
measures (increased levy and encompassing more
of the community). These
measures will have a cumulative effect in
the use of renewables.
7) There is no panacea. So every possible
mix of
renewable sources (including coal use with carbon sequestration)
relevant to a
locale should be considered.
8) If wind and photo voltaic are
sufficiently geographically
dispersed through the nation and
integrated into the grid, there is often
sufficient diversity of
load and diversity of generation to allow more balance
between
load and generation.
9) Locally, in the
Illawarra, the development of
ocean based energy
technology shows promise.
In
conclusion, I would
like to state that with the resources the
government and opposition party
posses, they should be able to
arrive at a far superior plan. It only requires
the desire and
political will to be committed to the well being of our planet,
ourselves and all other creatures living in it.