jtee said:
If your so sure of yourself why dont you answer my original question?
Tell me how you would make the wold a better place. I'm just being realistic, not everybody is born with a tree fetish.
I realise I'm pretty much ripping off other people's ideas, but here are some(realistic) suggestions from
www.getup.com.au
Firstly, Australia should sign the Kyoto Protocol. I personally find it embarassing that a so-called highly developed nation remains one of the ONLY Western nations that hasn't signed an agreement to AIM to reduce greenhouse emissions. We didn't even have to reduce our emissions, as they took into account our reliance upon coal fuel sources and still developing economy, but they asked only that we limit our emissions increases. Our emissions have increased at 10% over the last decade and will be at 17% by 2020. But Howard and his sycophants moan and cry about poor Australia's economy and their big business chums, and can't be arsed doing what every other RESPECTED country in the world has done.
Why can't the government invest in the same idea that Britain has? Citizens are issued with carbon credits, and heavy users must purchase credits from more "green" citizens in order to coninue to purchase fuel, etc. Industries are obviously allocated a higher amount of credits. Doesn't this provide a financial disincentive to using high greenhouse gas emitting practices?
The Californian government has recently announced targets of a reduction of 80% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, yet Australia continues on its spectacular rise...
And also, I'm sick of this argument that nuclear fuels are "cheaper" than other methods. It costs MILLIONS to establish the reactor and the plant, and the cost doesn't stop - employees are required to maintain the system, etc. Australia has an abundance of sun, and Howard's new solar plant is great(I'm agreeing with him on something?) - just too small a scale. Australia also has an abundance in natural gases, yet we continue to use coal fuels for power, and the solution is nuclear?! Right, I have an idea, lets stick the waste, which we don't know WHAT to do with, out with those aboriginals that choose to live out in the desert. Certainly won't affect me in my nice, rural NSW lifestyle!
Seriously, didn't anyone pay attention to David Suzuki when he was in the country? Oh wait! I forgot, John Howard is our resident expert on the environment - what would Suzuki know?