In true 2020 fashion, last week was once again full of awful news reports. Pandemic doom and gloom aside, we learned that the last decade was the hottest on record and it was also reported that carbon dioxide levels over Australia have risen – even though COVID-19 has forced global emissions down.
Depressing? Absolutely. But it pays to look beyond the headlines because thankfully, legends from all over Australia are stepping up the fight to halt the climate crisis.
Here is a snapshot of some of the great initiatives currently in action.
1: Millennials to the rescue
Katta O’Donnell, a 23-year-old Melbourne law student, is suing the Australian government for failing to disclose the risk climate change poses to Australians’ super and other safe investments.
O’Donnell claims that the government failed in its duty to disclose climate change’s impact on the value of government bonds and she hopes that the case will change the way Australia handles climate change.
“I’m suing the Government because I’m 23 and I think I need to be aware of the risks to my money and to the whole of society and the Australian economy. The government needs to stop keeping us in the dark so we can be aware of the risks that we’re all faced with.”
Experts say it could open the floodgates for other litigation by tying climate change to real-world financial risk.
2: Polluters pay for damage done
The cost of climate change is already putting a huge burden on all Australians. Each year, we collectively pay billions of dollars through taxes, higher insurance, property loss and smoke in our lungs for the cost of natural disasters.
A 2017 Deloitte report found that, by 2050, natural disasters will cost Australia an eyewatering $39 billion per year. This cost includes social impacts on employment, education, community networks, health and wellbeing (including death and injury). It does not include climate change.
Now, a group of experts including former emergency leaders, climate scientists, doctors and community members are calling for the creation of a climate disaster fund to help pay for the impact of natural disasters. They argue that at least some of the money should come from the industry making money out of fossil fuels: oil and gas companies, and coal miners.
Former ACT Emergency Services Authority commissioner Peter Dunn told the ABC’s Hack, “Something has to be done to wake up the fossil fuel industry. We’re all paying through the nose for their profiteering at our expense. Let’s make them pay for the damage they’re doing.”
3: People power
Championed by grassroots powerhouse GetUp!, the success of the Better Power campaign is well known. Having convinced thousands of Australians to use their economic power to buy wholesale power, they have sent a clear message to the large energy companies: lower your cost and back green energy projects.
This week, ProBono reported that a new online platform, the Zero-Carbon 2030 project, is publishing independent carbon information so that consumers and investors can see which companies are underperforming on climate action. It focuses on what companies actually do to achieve net zero emissions, rather than simply on what they are disclosing about their carbon footprint.
4: Good riddance to bottled water
It was also announced this week that Thankyou is will cease sale of its bottled water range. The social enterprise company rose to prominence 12 years ago by promoting the sales of water with the goal to end poverty in developing nations.
Twelve years and $7 million in donations later, Thankyou feels it can no longer avoid the elephant in the room: single-use plastic is a no-no.
It announced, “We’ve said it from the start, bottled water is a silly product and it shouldn’t exist. But, while it does, we wanted to provide a better choice in the market that would help bring water to those in need.”
“We naively always thought we’d eventually find a solution that’s a win-win for humanity and the planet. We were wrong.”
Ready for more?
Final note: the “Hottest decade climate crisis” and “Carbon dioxide rising during COVID” articles are not easy to digest but important nonetheless. If, after this burst of positivity you want to find out more, you can find them here and the second one here.