These days opposing the Kyoto agreement seems to be the politically incorrect stance . A
minority argue that the global warming is due to some factors outside
our control. However The Independent Australian supports any measures
to reduce greenhouse gases on the precautionary principle. ...
There is a school of thought that non-polluting technology will solve the
problems and allow unlimited expansion of our lifestyles and
population, Frank Fisher has cast doubt on those comforting theories
and rightly points us to conservation as the first port of call.
Unfortunately the Kyoto agreement is flawed.
...
Nevertheless, we should sign as even a token gesture. The Australian Government
believes that we can meet the targets anyway and a reduction in
immigration and a determined effort in conservation would enable our
industries to continue.
But the signs are not good. At the Federal level, immigration is running at
record levels. At the State level, we are investing in freeways instead
of public transport and energy hungry desalination plants are being
proposed for the water needs of the increasing population.
Frank Fisher is Associate Professor & Director, Graduate School of Environmental
Science at Monash University. He is a fellow of both the Australian
Institute of Energy and the Environment Institute of Australia &
New Zealand. He spent the first decade of his working life as an
engineer with transnational heavy electrical engineering companies. We
are delighted to republish two of his articles, because he thinks
‘outside the square’. These summaries were prepared by selecting
extracts without editing. You can obtain the full versions by
purchasing the magazines.
The first article was originally published in Engineering World, a
publication of the Institution of Engineers Australia, and the second
in Dissent (Autumn/Winter 2004), both of whom gave permission to
reprint with acknowledgement.