CLIMATE ACTION SHOW (Rpt)
July 29th 2024
Produced by Vivien Langford
ROSS GARNAUT - SUPERPOWER TRANSFORMATION
KAY WENNAGEL - ELECTRIC VEHICLE BULK BUY
Guests
ROSS GARNAUT - Professor Emeritus in Economics at Melbourne University. His recent book is
The Superpower Transformation - Making Australia's Zero Carbon Future.
https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/superpower-transformation(link is external)
Ross sees two disruptive events in 2022. The election of the ALP in Australia and the disruption of oil and gas exports to Europe after Russia invaded Ukraine. He says "Europe hesitated then COMMITTED decisively to the new economy"
Will Australia make the same committment?
We talked about :
Regional transformations, such as making agricultural UREA with green hydrogen instead of importing 92% from countries where it is produced using coal or gas as feedstock.
Industrial Transformations, such as helping China lower its costs of decarbonisation by producing GREEN STEEL here with local iron ore.
Methane Transformations by stopping subsidies to new coal and gas projects and mandating the strict prevention of FUGITIVE METHANE EMISSIONS from leaky pipes and mines.
A more thorny problem for us, if we want to manufacture zero carbon goods with our superpower resources of wind and solar energy, is how to extract the TRANSITION MINERALS here and abroad without riding rough shod over precious ecosystems and sacred places? Ross argues that they are essential for zero carbon modern medicine and modern life but as a quarry nation we have a huge responsibiliy NOT to continue extracting here and overseas in a damaging way.
We did not discuss the alternatives of a post extractivist, steady state economics but we welcome any contributions next year to discuss this VITAL matter.
Ross talks about the recent savaging of training for geophysics and mettalurgy specialists. Australia once had a proud reputation in this field but more money now goes to moon research than to manage the use of the transition minerals so much in demand! He says the jobs summit made some headway but a lot more needs to be done to protect the environment and insists that engaging indigenous people at the forefront of these transformations is essential.
https://www.neweconomy.org.au/nena-hubs/sector/post-extractivism/
https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/inline-files/Jobs-and-Skills...
KAY WENNAGEL - interviewed by Michael Staindl.
https://smartenergy.org.au/industry-directory/the-good-car-company/
The Good Car Company is a social enterprise dedicated to decarbonising transport and has been working with community groups and local councils across Australia to accelerate the take-up of affordable electric cars through community bulk buys.
Australia wide
+61 361214624
MUSIC - The coal owner and the Pittman's wife sung by Robert Farmer
This ballad is believed to date from the Durham strike of 1844 and to have been written by William Hornsby, a collier of Shotton Moor, Durham. The ballad was discovered among a collection of papers relating to the strike by a studious Lancashire miner, J.S. Bell. The tune was supplied by J. Dennison, of Walker and, together with the text, can be found in A.L. Lloyd’s Come All Ye Bold Miners(link is external).
A challenge to listeners to send us the ballads of Green Extractivism - the songs of the species. Contact us at Radio 3CR - (03 ) 94198377
Climate Action Collective
