More inspiration from Asia Pacific
More inspiration from Asia Pacific…this time from Australia where I recently spent some time learning about climate policies, absorbing the culture of sustainability, and, yes, chasing down the surf.
On a personal level, it is striking how environmentally conscious Australians seem to be. I admit that my travels were limited to regions within 5-7 hour drive of cosmopolitan Sydney. But still, even in the smallest towns, the recycling and trash bins are very prominent and always well labeled, and any “to go” orders in a café, restaurant or “fish and chips” shop are always served in biodegradable or recyclable paper containers. I didn’t see any take-out orders packed in a Styrofoam or plastic container in my two weeks there.
Fresh and local food is valued, and almost every home I saw had at least a small garden for herbs and veggies. These are tended with care and used every night for dinner salads, cooking etc. Even in California, where the climate and growing season is similar to some parts of Australia, gardens are not ubiquitous like they seem to be in Australia.
Other signs that Australians take environmental issues seriously:
at a small ferry dock in Sydney Harbor, there is a sea level rise marker and interpretive sign right on the dock as a simple reminder that the impacts of climate change are real and will be felt by those who live in this suburb being served by the ferry.
an interesting project I visited called EucFACE being run by scientists at Western Sydney University. The project enriches the atmosphere of a eucalyptus forest with carbon dioxide so scientists can study what will happen to trees, forests and ecosystems under increased atmospheric CO2 levels.
While Australia’s political parties often disagree on how to address climate change at the federal level, there do not appear to be questions about whether human caused climate change is happening. Instead, legitimate and robust debate about the mechanisms and costs associated with solutions occurs. In other words, Australians generally seem to be having intelligent, thoughtful conversations about climate change—the kind of conversations that seem to occur less frequently in America these days.
As many business, philanthropic, community and political leaders in cities and states across the United States continue to propel action on climate, I hope we can learn from Australia’s experiences. We don’t have to always agree on the course of action or how much money to spend on it, but we need to engage with each other in evidence-based conversations and with an eye toward solutions.