Change on the agenda
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- Information wanted: Jeffrey Montague, Julia Pettie, Catherine Williams and Pat Fraser travelled from Toora to attend the forum.
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- Local impacts: Mirboo North ‘s Ian Southall, Rob Waycott, and Peter and Glenda Smith were keen to get information.
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- Change needed: South Gippsland Shire Council sustainability advisor Lyndal Peterson with guest speaker, Matthew Wright.
MIRBOO North hosted climate change meeting last Wednesday evening.
Twenty people attended and South Gippsland Shire Council sustainability advisor, Lyndal Peterson said the meeting was held to ensure people in South Gippsland had access to information.
Guest speaker was Matthew Wright, executive director of Beyond Zero Emissions.
He presented his internationally acclaimed Zero Carbon Australia strategy.
“The strategy shows how Australia can transition to a carbon safe future in a timely and economically responsible manner,” Mr Wright said.
“The strategy only looks at commercially available technologies that will produce zero greenhouse gas emissions during operation and can be built in Australia within the timeframe considered.”
Beyond Zero Emissions is also in the process of completing reports on buildings and transport, detailing how these can be built for much lower energy consumption.
Scientists say that globally, the planet cannot afford to go beyond an increase of two degrees Celsius above global average temperature. Currently, the planet is 0.6 degrees warmer.
“This benchmark of two degrees increase is dangerous. In reality it should be a lot lower than that. The Arctic ice is already shrinking at a remarkable pace,” Mr Wrigth said.
“The good news is we can do something about it, if we get a wriggle on.
“Our plan provides 100 per cent of Australia’s electricity needs using concentrated solar thermal, wind power and existing electricity transmission infrastructure, geographically dispersed around an improved national grid.”
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