Jindabyne Swim

Cooma Climate Debate

Solar Farm meetings

Swim for Solar

 Dear CEFE members and supporters,
Welcome to the July 2009 edition. Information Watch contains many other links and resources, a new book by Mark Diesendorf and a recent Rural Climate Network from the Climate Institute.
Philippa

See below for:
• Urgency and Opportunity
• Launch of Safe Climate Australia - & Run for A Safe Climate
• CEFE nominated for 2009 Banksia and Eureka Awards
• Celebrate with the CEFE Solar Ball and Bega Festival in November
• Community Solar Installations continue apace!
• CEFE solar farm eligible for new NSW Feed-In Tariff?
• Cooma Monaro’s Climate Change Action Plan
• Renewable Energy Forum in Gunning
• ‘Heaven and Earth’ - ABC South-East tackles the skeptics debate
• The Age of Stupid
• RECS & Solar Credits – what exactly are they?

Urgency and Opportunity
Professor Will Steffen of ANU Climate Change Institute recently warned that ‘Urgency is the key in the transformation to a low carbon future’. His new report  (http://www.anu.edu.au/climatechange/content/news/report-climate-change-2009-faster-change-and-more-serious-risks/  updates IPCC's 2007 Fourth Assessment Report  and confirms we’re tracking well beyond earlier worst case scenarios.  This week Pemba Dorje Sherpa spoke of the dire threat faced by Nepalese and other Himalayan peoples from large unstable lakes created as increasing temperatures rapidly melt alpine glaciers.  Pemba holds the world record for climbing from Base Camp to the top of Mount Everest in 8 hours and 10 minutes! Friends of the Earth are hosting his visit as part of ‘The Big Melt’ (see www.thebigmelt.org).

I take heart in the US Obama administration clearly identifying the wisdom of investing now to speed the transition towards a low carbon renewable future  http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/energy_and_environment/).  On 9th July the US announced some $3 billion in direct payments (in lieu of tax credits) for renewable energy projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program will support approx 5,000 bio-mass, solar, wind, and other renewable energy production facilities - the investment is seen as an important avenue to contribute to economic development in rural and urban communities.

In Australia, it’s a good time to revisit  “Plan B: An Agenda for Immediate Climate Action" (see http://apo.org.au/research/plan-b-agenda-immediate-climate-action ). This outlines immediate solutions for energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable transport and forest protection that could be implemented over the next two years. It aims to build Australia’s capacity for halving our emissions over the next decade and increase Australia’s resilience to the harsh impacts of climate change.Thankfully, the government will separate out the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target legislation from the Emissions Trading Scheme so that the renewable energy industry can move forward while the debate on carbon trading continues.

Launch of Safe Climate Australia - & Run for a Safe Climate
Matthew Nott and Philippa Rowland joined a thousand guests to hear Al Gore formally launch SCA on 13th July. Excellent speakers included Prof. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, (UQ’s Centre for Marine Studies), Ian Dunlop, (ex-Australian Institute of Company Directors/Aust Coal Association) and SCA CEO Brendan Condon, all chaired by Robyn Williams in top form. See:
www.safeclimateaustralia.org ; http://www.safeclimateaustralia.org/media-and-links/videos/ .   I was deeply moved to hear emergency services crews planning to spend a month running 6000 km in relays from the Great Barrier Reef to the Coorong and back to Melbourne, speaking with Australian scientists about climate change impacts along the way. See http://www.safeclimateaustralia.org/run-for-a-safe-climate/ (or try http://blip.tv/file/2349990) 

CEFE nominated for 2009 Banksia and Eureka Awards
For “tireless efforts to motivate communities to implement action on climate change”, CEFE was one of six finalists for the Banksia Environmental Education Award, won by Monash University Sustainability Institute’s Green Steps Program (see http://www.banksiafdn.com/).
On 18th August CEFE is again a finalist for the 2009 Eureka Award for Innovative Solutions to Climate Change and hoping to be ‘third time lucky’ ! We’re in good company, with finalists Dr Pep Canadell and Dr Mike Raupach in the Environment category. Congratulations! http://eureka.australianmuseum.net.au/3601EE2C-0714-11DE-932A3949315B5EC3?DISPLAYENTRY=true

Celebrate with the CEFE Solar Ball and Bega Festival in November
It’s good to be re-inspired about the possibilities of action. The CEFE Solar Ball will be the gala event of the coming Bega Festival – Come and help us celebrate on Saturday 21st November at Bega Showground Pavilion. See www.begavalleyfestival.com and watch this space for updates!

Community Solar Installations continue apace!
Despite the sudden demise of the solar rebates three weeks ahead of schedule, solar installations are going ahead for over 1200 households across SE NSW. CEFE bulk buy schemes were run by Energy Options www.energyoptions.com.au in the north     (Huskisson      to Bawley Point) and Pyramid Power www.pyramidpower.com.au  in the south (from Bawley Point to Bairnsdale).
15 community buildings missed out on rebates but hope to go ahead with smaller 1 or 1.5 kWatt installations. The 20 Community Buildings with a pre-approved Federal grant:  Bega District Volunteer Rescue Squad; Bega Eco Neighbourhood Development (BEND); Bega Showground Trust; Berrambool Sports Complex; Candelo Town Hall; Kiola Coastal Patrol; Little Yuin Aboriginal Pre-School; Milton Rural Fire Station; Mollymook surf club; Mongarlowe Fire Shed; Cobargo School of Arts Hall; Moruya Historical Society Museum; Murrah Community Hall; Nardy House Inc; Narooma Pre-School; Nerrigundah Agricultural Bureau Inc.; Tanja Community Hall; Towamba Community Hall; Ulladulla Youth Centre; Wyndham Hall Committee;
Well done to all for the enormous effort that made this possible.
 
St John’s Church Bega had its solar panels installed last week (see above), the successful outcome of the Brogo Dam Big Swim and months of fundraising and persistence from members of the congregation and the parish environment committee. The by Rt Revd George Browning will formally launch the panels on Saturday 26th September at 10.30am, the central feature of an open day with sustainability stalls and displays on the lawns from 9.30am to 1.00pm. Please contact Gail Tabor (fugglestone(at)skymesh.com.au) or Ross Williams (willr(at)dragnet.com.au) for details if you are interested in setting up a display.
I'm keen to report other good news of community installations in your region as a result of the bulk buy schemes up and down the coast - let me know what happening near you & send a photo!

CEFE solar farm eligible for new NSW Feed-In Tariff?
In June the NSW Govt announced a Feed-In Tariff, due to start 1 Jan 2010. This DECC report ww.environment.nsw.gov.au/climateChange/solarfeedintariff.htm outlines the proposed system, which is a net FiT for solar only. CEFE participated in a recent workshop in Sydney to discuss how and whether the scheme will accommodate community solar farm projects like ours. We’ve also been invited to submit a written proposal by 31st August.

Cooma Monaro’s Climate Change Action Plan
This Action Plan will soon be on the CEFE website, providing information on how the Shire can achieve the 50/50 by 2020 target.  The Cooma-Monaro Climate Change Working Group (CEFE, Shire councillors and staff and community members) was established in August 2007 when the 50/50 by 2020 target was adopted.  Public meetings held soon will enable the community to determine new terms of reference for the working group, eg. establishing measures to achieve the target in Cooma-Monaro Shire. Two summary pamphlets will be made available over the next months thanks to a grant from the ANZ and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.  Comments on the plan are invited. Email antiab60(at)gmail.com or call Antia on 0429778633 to arrange an alternate method of contact.

Renewable Energy Forum in Gunning
ACT Commissioner for Environment Maxine Cooper drew together mayors and Council staff from the Australian Capital Region to discuss renewable energy. Gunning Mayor John Shaw shared his firsthand perspective on having a 3MW wind farm built in the Shire, while I spoke on Community-Government Partnerships on Renewable Energy (PowerPoint available on request). Amazing experience to be so close and actually get inside one of those majestic turbines – towers 80 metres high with blades 46 metres long! Perhaps we really may be on the cusp of a renewable energy future for Australia, such a long time coming!

‘Heaven and Earth’ - ABC South-East tackles the skeptics debate
Thankfully in Australia we’re all free to form our own views. The climate debate rages with skeptics on and off air. Tim Holt & ABC SE staff have made the issues accessible to the general public by sourcing material straight from the ‘horse’s mouth’. The debate began with interviews with Matthew Nott, Professor Ian Plimer & scientists from the UK Hadley Met Centre and Yale University quoted in his recent book “Heaven and Earth”. Hop onto the local ABC website http://abc.net.au/southeastnsw and the CEFE guestbook (www.cleanenergyforeternity.net.au/) to review and join in the discussions. It is always worth checking your source material and distinguishing between arguments by vested interests and genuine peer-reviewed science.

The Age of Stupid
Wednesday 19th August is the Australian/NZ Premiere of The Age of Stupid, a new film by McLibel director Franny Armstrong. Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking at 2008 footage and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance? The premiere includes a panel discussion with the star, the director and Eric Phillips, an Australian explorer speaking live from the Arctic where he’s documenting the effects of climate change.

Ticket booking, Australia: http://www.ageofstupid.net/screenings/country/australia
Trailer for the Oz/NZ premiere (video): http://vimeo.com/5818675:
Age of Stupid Flyer: www.ageofstupid.net/oznz_eflyer

RECS & Solar Credits– what are they ?
In June 09 the Federal Government terminated its solar photovoltaic rebates. The replacement Solar Credits Scheme is linked to the national 20% Renewable Energy Target and based around the crediting of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Solar Credits have been on hold as the Federal Government had tied the legislation to the successful passage of its proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, rejected by Parliament on 13 August. Hopefully the RET legislation will now be passed sooner rather than later.

Under the proposed scheme, householders will be credited five times the RECs normally created by solar PV, wind or hydro-electric power generation systems of up to 1.5kW.  These RECs can then be sold (at the current market price) to supplement the cost of renewable installations.  The current REC value appears to have stabilized around $36 after a worrying few months in free fall.

What are RECs and what happens to your RECs once they have been sold?  These are relevant questions for anyone considering the installation of PV/wind/hydro or solar hot water systems to reduce their impact on the environment and climate change.  RECs are traded on the market by registered traders.  Householders may register RECs themselves or installers may handle this for you, e.g. in return for a cheaper installation price.  Federal government fact sheets on RECS and the proposed solar credits scheme at
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/renewabletarget/publications/pubs/solar_credits-fs.pdf and
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/renewabletarget/publications/pubs/faq_solar_credits.pdf 

Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator which administers the RECS scheme (http://www.orer.gov.au/recs/index.html) and an Alternative Technology Association article on what happens to your RECs once sold (http://www.ata.org.au/wp-content/uploads/105_recs.pdf) and the weekly REC price...depending on the market http://www.greenmarkets.com.au/

Information Watch
• Library Links - New Books by Mark Diesendorf & Barrie Pittock
• Transcript of Christine Milne’s Press Club speech
• Climate Change and Agriculture Workshops
• Boco Wind Farm developer to safeguard Monaro environment
• 100% Renewables Possible by 2050 - German University of Kassel

New Books by Mark Diesendorf & Barrie Pittock
‘Climate Action: A campaign manual for greenhouse solutions’ is the latest contribution by Dr Mark Diesendorf, Director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales. Mark has drawn together positive case studies of successful grass roots social movements, and generously provided me with a copy to share around.
‘Climate Change: The Science, Impacts and Solutions’ by A Barrie Pittock has just been released in an updated second edition. It presents all sides of the science and possible remedies, providing excellent reference material and presenting ideas that can inspire people to take action.

Bega Valley Library and Clean Energy for Eternity are collaborating to set up a dedicated resource collection. The two books above will soon be available for loan under this evolving system. In time, we hope to develop travelling displays and other educational materials.  Talk to your library about the idea! Contact Penny Amberg c/ Bega Valley Library for further information, suitable donations or any suggestions for valuable materials.

Transcript of Christine Milne’s Press Club speech
The Green’s vision for meaningful action on climate change was well articulated by Christine Milne at the National Press Club on Wednesday June 17, 2009. You can download a pdf transcript at http://greensmps.org.au/webfm_send/149 - it’s thoughtful & well worth the read.

Climate Change and Agriculture

In Cooma, a "Sustainable Futures Forum 2009: Carbon, Water, Food" was held on Thursday 6th August (9:30-4pm) at the Cooma Ex-services Club.  Tel 02 93512936 to inquire about outcomes.    I attended the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology workshop on “Australian Agriculture - A Changing Carbon Economy in a Changing Climate” on 24th April – you can download the proceedings at <http://www.aiast.com.au/userfiles/file/ACTApr09Proceedings.pdf>  Check out a review from the Bureau of Rural Sciences on ‘Soil carbon for carbon sequestration and trading: Issues for agriculture and forestry’ ’ http://adl.brs.gov.au/brsShop/html/brs_prod_90000004145.html.  review reported by a new Rural Climate Network from the Climate Institute (contact Corey Watts cwatts@climateinstitute.org.au).

Energy and Water Rebates
Follow this link to see which energy and water rebates are available for homes in NSW:http://www.ata.org.au/sustainability/rebates/nsw-rebates
Follow this link to see which energy and water rebates are available for homes in the ACT:http://www.ata.org.au/sustainability/rebates/act-rebates

Weekly Greenhouse Indicator
The climate group has a weekly greenhouse indicator, tracking Australian emissions per state.  It breaks emissions down by source and also provides an assessment of emissions trends relative to last year. Worth a look at http://www.theclimategroup.org/data/the_greenhouse_indicator/

Boco Wind Farm developer to safeguard Monaro environment
A company planning to build a wind farm on the New South Wales Monaro has committed to conserving the area's fragile environment if it gets approval. Wind Prospect C-W-P says it's made modifications to its Boco Rock Wind Farm proposal including the height and number of towers it plans to build. Field surveys have begun along a preferred power line corridor, connecting the wind farm to the State electricity grid, east of Nimmitabel. Development Director Ed Mounsey says legal agreements will be placed on sensitive ecologies after the completion of environmental assessments." All of those will feed into our Environmental Assessment which we'll submit to the Department of Planning so that comprises the ecology, visual, noise, traffic, transport - aspects like that which you typically find within the Environmental Assessment," he said. The company expects to finalise and submit its Environmental Assessment plan next month.

100% Renewables Possible by 2050 - German University of Kassel
This German power plant combines wind, solar PV, biomass and pumped storage Hydro and provides some encouraging evidence that mainstream adoption of renewable energy is possible at large scales.. See video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR8gEMpzos4 and article in English at http://www.kombikraftwerk.de/index.php?id=27. (thanks to Jo Lewis and  Matthew at future energy )