Transcript Climate Chaos presentation

Climate Chaos – A BIG Aussie
Issue
Climate Chaos
Nicky Ison
The briefest of brief intro’s to
climate change science
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Caused by increasing amounts of
greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere
This causes a CO2 blanket around
the earth, trapping the heat
Increased heat changes the Earth’s
climatic systems
Some Climate Change Statistics
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In 100 years the Earth has warmed by ~ 0.7ºC.
The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has
increased from 280ppm to 380ppm in the last 100
years – 31% increase.
The difference in global temperatures between
now and the last ice age ~ 5ºC
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
predicts temperatures will rise between 1.4 –
5.8ºC.
In Australia
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We are addicted to fossil fuels:
Subsidised annually to the tune of $9
billion
 Largest coal exporting nation – 29%
of global coal exports
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We have energy intensive export
industries – aluminum
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Stationary energy (electricity)
accounts for 48% of our emission
ASEN Clean Energy Campaign
Why?
We are students – Universities and
education institutions are our sphere
of influence
Universities are huge energy consumers,
by changing their systems we can
significantly influence the energy
sector.
ASEN is campaigning for
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Purchasing Renewable Energy
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Onsite Renewable Energy Generation
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Increased energy efficiency
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Green-buildings
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Reduction in Universities’ greenhouse
gas emissions
Some Successes
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Monash University – 20% energy
reduction by 2010, $300,000 per
year energy fund, staff position to
focus on energy reductions
ANU – 20% purchase of
Greenpower by end 2006
ASEN Climate Working group
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On the ground campus campaigns
National initiatives to support
these campaigns
Campus Climate Challenge
Scorecard
 National Call in day to the Australian
Vice Chancellor’s Committee
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We need a paradigm shift
“Warming (and warming alone), through its primary
antidote of withdrawing carbon from production and
consumption, is capable of realizing the
environmentalist’s dream of an egalitarian society
based on rejection of economic growth in favor of a
smaller population’s eating lower on the food chain,
consuming a lot less, and sharing a much lower level
of resources much more equally” (Ray Evans, Nine
Lies about Global Warming)
Clean Energy Revolution
With Climate Change as the imperative
we can create a clean energy future!