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Lies, damned lies and statistics

richard@quest2025.net — 2009-03-01T11:38:42+10:30

This is a partial transcript from the ABC program Correspondents Report. The program is broadcast around Australia on Sundays at 08:00 on ABC Radio National.

ELIZABETH JACKSON: For 38 years, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland has been celebrating globalisation and capitalism.

This year though the event took on a more sombre tone. And as business and world leaders debated ways to lift economic growth around the world, a group of prominent economists were arguing that the traditional ways of measuring growth should be tossed aside.

Our Europe correspondent Emma Alberici reports.

EMMA ALBERICI: What the International Monetary Fund sees ahead is the worst global slump since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It predicts that every advanced economy, including Australia, will go into recession. Some are already there.

Recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative gross domestic product, or is it? A session at this week's Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland challenged the traditional ideas about how a society's progress is measured.

A session at this week's Economic Forum meeting in Davos Switzerland turned the idea of GDP on its head, questioning whether it is the best way to measure a society's progress.

Enrico Giovannini, the chief statistician at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, is currently chairing the global project on measuring the progress of societies.

It's challenging the long accepted notion that GDP is the best barometer of a country's well being. GDP only calculates what a nation produces; goods services and exports minus imports.

A growing chorus of economists say that's no longer relevant to the experiences of real people; are they happy? Do they have jobs?

read more at the ABC

A Red Ring Around Canberra

richard@quest2025.net — 2009-02-10T13:29:13+10:30

Alison Potter sees reason for hope on climate change. Go Alison!

By Alison Potter

Disgusted at Canberra's disastrous response to climate change, Alison Potter joined thousands of others who are taking matters into their own hands.

Last Tuesday at 9:00am I stood alongside 2500 other ordinary, impassioned Australians, holding hands in a huge ring of splendid red all the way around Parliament House in Canberra.

We demanded a swift, appropriate and ethical response to the climate emergency. Enormous red and white banners blared "100% renewables", "Our climate — our Parliament — our future", "Scrap the CPRS", and "Climate Emergency".

As I waved to the helicopter hovering above, and smiled broadly at the camera crews and MPs' cars as they slid past, it felt like something had tipped.

The protest came at the end of the inaugural Climate Action Summit for grassroots climate groups. Self-organised and scattered across every state of Australia, 150 climate action groups, born from middle Australia and outwards, had met to network and talk strategy over three intense days.

Climate Action Summit participants speak

richard@quest2025.net — 2009-02-07T20:49:48+10:30

7 February 2009

Green Left Weekly’s Simon Butler asked a number of activists present at Australia’s Climate Action Summit why they attended and why they thought it was so important.

Katherine, Bondi, New South Wales

“I’ve got two young kids and I’ve just come to the conclusion that we all have to get active to do what we can about climate change. It’s all very well to sit in our lounge rooms, feeling worried and anxious and whatever, but it’s really great to come together with such a large group of people from all around Australia.

“The commitment that people have shown to come together and speak with one voice has been very encouraging. It’s been quite moving.”

Graham Brown, Hunter Environment Lobby

“I see the opening of parliament, which is coinciding with this summit, as the time to spread the message and act meaningfully to get a sane world. No environment, no economy.”

News from Darwin re Transition to Sustainability

richard@quest2025.net — 2009-01-18T17:39:14+10:30

Hello

Here's a bit of an update on the sustainability/climate change things that have happened to me so far this month. Its ended up a bit long, but I thought I'd just give you a whole picture of what I know by way of introduction.

Transition Towns

Well for the last two weeks I've been floating the Transition Town idea around the place and letting people mull it all over. So far I have been pretty impressed by the response from people. This seems to be the sort of thing that many people have been looking for. So far my purpose is just to find out who and what is out there and get a few people talking. I'm hopeful that through this process 1 to 3 other people will eventually present themselves to help lead this project through the next couple of stages.

I've only just started contacting the people/orgs that I plan chat to and so far I'm in really positive conversations with the following:
• Food Care NT who run the permabliz;
• Environment Centre NT who have been very helpful and very very encouraging;
• Transition Town group in Alice Springs run through the Arid Land Environment Centre (early days for them too);
• A couple of other like minded people who are already doing some things in this area; and of course
• the Brisbane Transition Initiative people who encouraged me to look at the opportunities in my own city.
(you lot are fantastic - thanks a whole bunch for being so open minded and encouraging!)

Thursday morning ABC local radio called me for an interview that arvo. (Already - can you believe it?) I was interviewed by Annie Gaston on Drive but while I was on hold I spoke to Mick Murdoch who does Sat mornings. After their request for an interview I emailed them a few links below. Mike told me that they had browsed around on the web and reckon that they would like regular updates, there looks like there would be lots of scope for regular coverage and that if there is anything they can do to get the word out about this or that, then just ask! Someone just told me last night that the local ABC am presenter Julia Christiansen was talking about Transition Towns again the next morning.

National Climate Summit rejects Rudd’s flawed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme – DIARY REMINDER: PROTEST TOMORROW

richard@quest2025.net — 2009-02-03T17:33:55+10:30

Over 140 community climate action groups have united at their first national summit in their decision to oppose the Federal Government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), saying that it will fail make the required cuts to greenhouse pollution.

More than 500 people from around the country gathered in Canberra this weekend to produce a national, unified set of objectives for the community campaign of climate action for the crucial year ahead.

“Australia must be part of a global climate change action plan that will reduce carbon concentration in the atmosphere to 300 parts per million (ppm) and keep it there,” said mother and member of Climate Change Balmain Rozelle Jenny Curtis.

Evening to Inspire Action

richard@quest2025.net — 2009-01-14T21:15:35+10:30

STEPPING INTO PLANETARY CHANGE:
Evening to Inspire Action

6.30 pm Friday 16th January ‘09
Ahimsa House
( 26 Horan St, West End)

All Welcome

Planet Earth can no longer support our demands of endless growth. Humans are now reconnecting with Earth, each other, and facing choices to transform their societies to sustainability. Your passion, talents, courage and energy is needed to take action:

Speak Out Getting Political!
Canberra Convergence 30th January
Getting it Out There! Global Action
Building Support Recruitment

More info: 0423 117 257

Comments on the Draft Cityshape Document

richard@quest2025.net — 2006-02-28T18:18:20+10:30

The following is a copy of a letter sent to all Brisbane City councillors providing feedback on the draft CityShape Plan for Brisbane City to the year 2026. Replies have been received from most of the councillors; however these replies have not addressed the substantive issues raised in the original letter.
30 March 2006

Cr (full name)
Brisbane City Council
GPO Box 1434
BRISBANE QLD 4001

Dear Cr (surname)

COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT CITYSHAPE DOCUMENT

I attended the first CityShape workshop on March 4 at The Gap High School.
My general comment is that the document fails to adequately address the urgent issues of climate change and ‘Peak Oil’ (the forthcoming peak in global oil production).

Former US President Bill Clinton calls climate change ‘the world’s biggest problem’, while some commentators consider that Peak Oil has the potential to cause unprecedented disruption to our cities and our economy.

The justification for my general comment on the CityShape report is set out below.